THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

o"

<■

r

Qa7f

i

OUR

COACHING TRIP

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS

BY

ANDREW CARNEGIE.

(PRIVATE CIRCULATION.)

NE\V YORK.
1882.

'Ah, that such beauty cannot be portrayed
By words, nor by the pencil's silent skill.
But is the property of him alone
Who hath beheld it, noted it with care,
And in his mind recorded it with love."

C2\o

TO MY BROTHER

A.XD TRUSTY ASSOCIATES,

IVIfO TOILED A T HOME THA T I MIGHT REALIZE THE HAPPIEST

DREAM OF MY LIFE, THIS RECORD, LIKE ''ROUND THE

WORLDS /.9 ALSO AFFECTIONATELY

INSCRIBED BY THE

GRATEFUL AUTHOR.

New Youk, March lo, 1882.

733924

OUR COACHING TRIP.

Bang ! click ! once more the desk closes and the
key turns ! Not " Round the World " again, but
" Ho for England, for England !" is the cry, and
" Scotland's hills and Scotland's dales and Scotland's
vales for me. ' '

Long enough ago to permit us to sing,

" For we are boys, merry, merry boys,"

and the world lay all before us where to choose, Dod,
Vandy, Harry, and I walked through Southern Eng-
land with knapsacks on our backs'. What pranks we
played ! Those were the happy days when we
heard the chimes at midnight and laughed Sir Pru-
dence out of countenance. " Dost thou think, be-
cause thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes
and ale ?" , Nay, verily. Sir Gray Beard, and ginger
shall be hot i' the mouth too ! Then indeed

" The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion ; the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colors and their forms, were then to me
An appetite ; a feeling and a love
That had no need of a remoter charm,
By thought supplied, or any interest
Unborrowed from the eve."

2 OUR COACHING TRIP.

It was during this pedestrian excursion that I
announced that some day, when my " ships came
home," I should drive a party of my dearest friends
from Briofhton to Inverness. Black's " Adventures
of a Phaeton " came not long after this to prove that
another Scot had divined how idyllic the journey
could be made. It was something of an air-castle —
of a dream — those far-off days, but see how it has
come to pass !

The world, in my opinion, is all wrong on the
subject of air-castles. People are forever complain-
ing that their chateaux en Espagne are never real-
ized. But the trouble is with them — they fail to
recognize them when they come. "To-day," says
Carlyle, " is a king in disguise," and most people are
in possession of their air-castles, but lack the trick to
see't.

Look around you ! see Vandy, for instance.
When we were thus doing Merrie England on foot,
he with a very modest letter of credit stow^ed away
in a belt round his sacred person — for Vandy it was
who always carried the bag (and a faithful treasurer
and a careful one too- — good boy, Vandy !) ; he was
a pobr student then, and you should have heard him
philosophize and lord it over us two, who had been
somewhat fortunate in rolling mills and were devot-
ed to business. " Great Cassar ! boys, if I ever get
fifteen hundred dollars a year income !" (This Avas
the fortune I was vaguely figured up to be worth
under ordinary conditions.) " Great Caesar ! boys"
— and here the fist would come down on the hard
deal table, spilling a few drops of beer — "fifteen
hundred dollars a year ! Catch me working anj^ more

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 3

like a slave, as -yoii and Harry do !" Well, well,
Vandy's air-castle was fifteen hundred dollars a
year, yet see him now when thousands roll in upon
him every month. Hard at it still — and see the god-
dess laughing in her sleeve at the good joke on
Vandy. He has his air-castle, but doesn't recognize
the structure.

There is Miss Fashion. How fascinating she was
when she descanted on her air-castle — then a pretty
cottage with white and red roses clustering beside
the door and twining over it in a true-lovers' knot,
symbolizing the lover's ideal of mutual help and de-
pendence— the white upon the red. No large estab-
lishment for her, nor many servants ! One horse (I
admit it was always to be a big one), and an elegant
little vehicle ; plenty of garden and enough of pin-
money. On this point there was never to be
the slightest doubt, so that she could really get the
^est riiagazines and one new book every month — any
one she chose. A young hard-working husband,
without too much income, so that she might experi-
ence the pleasure of planning to make their little go
far. Behold her now ! her husband a millionaire, a
brown-stone front, half a dozen horses, a country
place, and a box at the opera ! But, bless your heart !
she is as unconscious of the arrival of her castle as
she is that years creep upon her apace.

The Goddess Fortune, my friends, rarely fails to
give to mortals all they pray for and more, but how
she must stand amazed at the blindness of her idola-
ters who continue to offer up their pra3'ers at her
shrine wholly unconscious that their first requests
have been granted. It takes Fortune a little time to

4 OUR COACHING TRIP.

prepare the gifts for so many supplicants — the toys
each one specially wants ; and lo and behold ! before
they can be delivered (though she works with speed
betimes) the unreasonable mortals have lost conceit of
their prizes, and their coming is a mockery ; the)'"
are crying for something else. If the Fates be malig-
nant, as old religions teach, how they must enjoy
the folly of man !

Imagine a good spirit taking Fortune to task for
the misery and dispontent of mortals, as she gazes
Avith piteous eyes upon our disappointments, our
troubles, and, saddest of all, our regrets, charging
her with producing such unhappiness. " Why have
you done this?" would be the inquiry. Listen to
the sardonic chuckle of the Fate : " Hush ! I've only
given them what the}^ asked (chuckle — chuckle —
chuckle) ! Not my fault ! See that unhappy
wretch, sleeplessly and feverishly tossing on his
pillow, and in his waking hours absorbing all his
lofty faculties in gambling at the Stock Exchange —
wife, children, home, music, art, culture, all forgot-
ten. He was once a bright, promising, ingenuous
youth. He was born among trees and green fields,
spent the morn of life in the country, sensitive and re-
sponsive to all nature's whisperings ; lay in cool, leafy
shades, wandered in forest glades, and paddled in
the ' complaining brooks w^hich make the meadow
green.' Nay, not , many years ago he returned at
intervals to these scenes and found their charm had
still power over him— felt the truth of the poet's
words, that

" ' To him who in the love of nature holds
- Communion with her visible forms, she speaks

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 5

A various language ; for his gayer hours
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile
And eloquence of beauty, and she glides
Into his darker musings, with a mild
And healing sympathy, that steals away
Their sharpness, ere he is aware.'

" He asked for enough to live honorably upon
among his fellows," continues the Fate, "and to keep
his parents comfortable in their old age — a matter of
a few hundreds a year — and I gave him this and
thousands more. Ha, ha, ha ! silence ! Look at
him ; he doesn't see the joke. You may try to tell it
to him, if you like. He has no time to listen, nor
ears to hear, nor eyes to see ; no, nor soul to under-
stand your language. He's ' short' on New Jersey
Central or ' long ' on Reading, and, bless you ! he
must strain every fibre if he would save himself from
ruin.

" He could commune with you in your youth,
you say ; he Had your language then. No doubt !
no. doubt ! so did he then know his Latin and whisper
his prayers at his mother's knee. The Latin has
gone ; his pra3nng continues— nay has increased, for
his fears and selfish wants have multiplied since he
was an innocent, ignorant child, and he has much
more to ask from God for his own ends, now that
he is a wise man and is supposed to know much
(chuckle — chuckle — chuckle).

" There is another mortal," we hear the Fate say-
insf to the Good Fairy. " Look at her, decked out
in all the vagaries of changeable Fashion ; note her
fixed-up look, her conventional air, her nervous,
unmeaning, simpering smile- -the same to-day, yes-

6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

terday, and forever— something to all men, much to
none. See her at home in her chamber ! Why
mopes she, looking so haggard, with features ex-
pressionless and inane ? What worm gnaws at her
heart and makes her life so petty ? She too came into
the world a bright and happy thing, and grew up fond
of music and of birds, and with a passion for flowers
and all of Nature's sweets ; so careful too of mother
and of father, the very embodiment of love to all
around her. You should have seen her in her teens,
a glorious ray from heaven — ' making a sunshine in
a shady place ' — so natural, so hearty, with a carol-
linir lausfh like the falling of waters. In her most
secret prayers she asked only for a kind lover with a
fair competence, that they might live modestly, with-
out ostentation. She was a good girl and I gave her
her wish and more, " says Fate. " Her air-castle was
small, but I sent her a magnificent one. She is
courted, flattered, has every gift in my power to be-
stow ; yet she pines in the midst of them. The fruits
of her rare gardens have no flavor for her — Dead
Sea fruits indeed, which fall to ashes on her lips.
She has entered for the race of Fashion, and her soul
is absorbed in its jealousies and disappointments.
You may speak to her as of old ; tell her there is
something noble in that domain of human life where
duties grow — something not only beyond but differ-
ent from Fashion, higher than dress or show. She
understands you not.

" Hand her a bunch of violets. Does she learn
their lesson with their odor (which her dog scents as
well as she) ? Comes there to her the inner mean-
ing, the scent of the new-mown hay that speaks of

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 7

past hours of purity, of the fresh breeze that fanned
her cheek in childhood's halcyon da3's, the love of
all things of the green earth and the sense of the
ofoodness of God which his flowers ever hold within
their petals for those who know their language ?
' They will decorate me to-night for the ball !' That
is the be-all and the end-all of her ladyship's love for
flowers.

" Show her a picture with more of heaven than
earth in it, and glimpses of the light that never shone
on sea or shore. If the artist be in fashion she will
call it ' pretty ' when it is grand. Give her music.
Is it the opera? Oh, yes, she will attend. It is the
fashion. But place within her reach the soul-mov-
ing oratorio (with more religion in it than in twenty
sermons) or the suggestive symphony. No, a pre-
vious engagement prevents. Why, just think of it
— one call t talk there ! Yet this woman could once
play with feeling and sing with expression, delight-
ing her young companions. Of her one could truly
say,

" ' Oh ! to see or hear her singing ! scarce I know which is divinest —
For her looks sing too — she modulates her gestures on the tune ;
And her mouth stirs with the song, like song ; and when the notes

are finest,
'Tis the eyes that shoot out vocal light, and seem to swell them on. '

And now she has fallen to this !"

"Has she children?" inquires thfe Good Spirit.
" Oh," says Fate, " we are not altogether relentless.
How could we grive such a woman children and look
you in the face ? It is sometimes thought necessary
even to go as far as this, but in such cases we com-
mend the poor infants to the special care of the great

8 'OUR COACHING TRIP.

Father, for mother they have none. But look I
there is a man now who did so pray for a son and
heir that we gave him one, and yonder goes the re-
sult. God in heaven ! why are men so rash in their
bhndness as to pray for anything ! Surely ' Thy
will be done ' were best,"

I am as bad as Sterne in his " Sentimental Jour-
ney," and will never get on at this rate. I started to
argue that the Fates were too kind instead of not kind
enough ; at least, my air-castles have ever been mere
toys compared with the realities, for never did I
dream, in my wildest days, that the intended drive
through Britain would assume the princely propor-
tions of a four-in-hand, crowded with a dozen of my
dearest friends. A modest phaeton or wagonefte
with a pair of horses was the extent of my dream,
but the Fairy sent me four, you see, and two friends
for every one I had pleased myself with imagining
as sure to take the journey with me.

But now to a sober beginning of the story of the
coach. It was in the leafy month of June — ^the very
first day thereof, however — in the year of our Lord
1 88 1, that the good ship Bothnia (Cunard Line, of
course), Captain McMicken (a true Scot and bold
British sailor), steamed from the future Metropolis
of the World for the shores of Merrie England. She
had many passengers, but among them were eleven
who outranked all others, if their respective opinions
of each other were to be accepted as the true stand-
ard of judgment. I had received for several months
before the sweetest pleasure imaginable in startling
first one and then another with requests to report at
headquarters, Windsor Hotel, New York, May 31st,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 9

prepared to embark. It was on St. Valentine's Day
that Miss Jeannie Johns received a missive which
caused her young heart to flutter. What a pretty
reply came ! Here is a short extract :

" Three months to dream of it ; three months to live in it ; and
my whole lifetime afterward to think it over. I am the happiest girl
alive, only sometimes I can't believe it's all going to happen."

To Davenport, Iowa, went another invitation.
In due time came a return missive from the. proud
City of the River :

"Will I go to Paradise for three months on a coach? Agent of
Providence, I will !"

Isn't it glorious to make one's friends so happy ?

Harbor of New York, June i, iSSi. )
On board Steamer Bothnia. \

Call the roll.

Lady Dowager Mother, Head of the Clan (no
Salic Law in our family) ; Miss Jeannie Johns (Prima
Donna) ; Miss Alice French (Stewardess) ; Mr. and
Mrs. McCargo (Dainty Davie) ; Mr. and Mrs. King
(Paisley Troubadours, Aleck good for fun and Aggie
good for everything) ; Benjamin F. Vandevort
(Benjie) ; Henry Phipps, Jr. (II. P., Our Pard) ; G.
F. McCandless (General Manager) ; ten in all, mak-
ing together with the scribe the All-coaching Eleven.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling ! The tears are shed, the kisses
ta'en. The helpless hulk breathes the breath of life.
The pulsations of its mighty heart are felt ; the last

lo OUR COACHING TRIP.

rope that binds us to land cast off, and now see the
hundreds of handkerchiefs waving from the pier fad-
ing and fading away. But note among the wavers
one slight graceful figure : Miss Mary Clark of our
party, present in spirit if bodily absent on duty,
much to the regret of us all. The wavings from
deck to shore tell our friends

" how slow our souls sailed on,
How fast our ship."

The Bothnia turned her face to the east, and out
upon old ocean's gray and melancholy waste sailed
the Gay Charioteers. As we. steamed down the bay
three' steamers crowded with the most enterprising
of Europe's people passed us, emigrants coming to
find in the bounteous bosom of the Great Republic the
blessings of equality, the just reward of honest labor.
Ah, favored land ! the best of the Old World seek
your shores to swell to still grander proportions
your assured greatness. That all come only for the
material benefits you confer, I do not believe.
Crowning these material considerations, I insist that
the more intelligent of these'people feel the spirit of
true manhood stirring within them, and glory in the
thought that th^y are to become part of a powerful
people, of a government founded upon the born
equality of man, free from military despotism and
class distinctions. There is a trace of the serf in the
man who lives contentedly in a land with ranks
above him. One hundred and seventeen thousand
came last month, and the cry is still they come ! O
ye self-constituted rulers of men in Europe, know
you not that the knell of dynasties and of rank is

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. H

sounding ? Are you so deaf that 3'ou do not hear
the thunders, so blind that you do not see the light-
nings which now and then give warning of the storm
that is to precede the reign of the people ?

There is everything in the way one takes things.
" Whatever is, is right," is a good maxim for trav-
ellers to adopt, but the Charioteers improved on
that. The first resolution they passed was, " What-
ever is, is lovely ; all that does happen and all that
doesn't shall be altogether lovely." We shall quar-
rel with nothing, admire everything and every-
body. A surly beggar shall afford us sport, if
any one can be surly. under our smiles; and stale
bread and poor fare shall only serve to remind us
that we have banqueted at the Windsor. Even
no dinner at all shall pass for a good joke. Rain
shall be hailed as good for the growing corn ; a
cold day pass as invigorating, a warm one welcomed
as suggestive of summer at home, and even a Scotch
mist serve to remind us of the mysterious ways of
Providence, In this mood the start was made.
Could any one suggest a better for our pur-
pose ?

Now comes a splendid place to skip— the ocean
voyage. Everybody writes that up upon the first
trip, and every family knows all about it from the
long descriptive letters of the absent one doing
Europe.

When one has crossed the Atlantic twenty odd
times there seems just about as much sense in boring
one's readers with an account of the trip as if the
journey were by rail from New York to Chicago.
We had a fine, smooth run, and though some of us

12

OUR COACHING TRIP.

were a trifle distrait, most of us were supremely
happy. A sea voyage compared with land travel is
a good de'al like matrimony compared with single
blessedness, I take it : either decidedly better or de-
cidedly worse. To him who finds himself comfort-
able at sea, the ocean is the grandest of treats. He
never fails to feel himself a boy again while on the
waves. There is an exaltation about it. " He walks
the monarch of the peopled deck," glories in the
storm, rises with and revels in it. Heroic song
comes to him. The ship becomes a live thing,
and if the monster rears and plunges it is akin
to bounding on his thoroughbred who knows its
rider. Many men feel thus, and I am happily of
them, but the ladies who are at their best at sea
are few.

The travellers, however, bore the journey well,
though one or two proved indifferent sailors. One
morning I had to make several calls upon members
below and administer my favorite remedy ; but pale
and dejected as the patients were, not one failed to
smile a ghastly smile, and repeat after a fashion the
cabalistic words—" Altogether lovely."

In no branch of human progress has greater ad-
vance been made within the past twenty years than
in ocean navigation by steam ; not so much in the
matter of speed as in cost of transport. The Persia,
once the crack ship of the Cunard Line, required an
expenditure of thirty-five dollars as against her suc-
cessors' one dollar. The Servia will carry thirty-five
tons across the ocean for what one ton cost in the Per-
sia. A revolution indeed ! and one which brings the
products of American soil close to the British shores.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 13

Quite recently flour has been carried from Chicago
to Liverpool for about eighty cents per barrel.
The farmer of Illinois is as near the principal mar-
kets of Britain as the farmer in England who grows
his crops one hundred miles from his market and
transports by rail.

Some of the good people of Britain who are inter-
ested in land believe that the competition of Amer-
ica has reached its height. Deluded souls, it has
only begun !

One cannot be a day at sea without meeting the
American who regrets that the Stars and Stripes
has been commercially driven from the ocean.
This always reminds me of a fable of the lion and the
turtle. The lion was proudly walking along the
shore, the real king of his domain, the land. The tur-
tle mocked him, saying. Oh, that's nothing, any one
can walk on land. Let's see you try it in the
water. The licjn tried. Result: the turtle fed upon
him for many days. America can only render her-
self ridiculous by entering the water. That is, Eng-
land's domain.

" Her home is on ihe mountain wave,
Her march is o'er the deep."

Travellers know the character and abilities of the
men in charge of a Cunard ship, but have they ever
considered for what pittances such men are ootained ?
Captain, 1^3250 per annum; hrst officer, §1000; second,
third, and fourth c fficers. $600. For what sum think
you can be had a man capaiile of controlling the pon-
derous machinery of the Servia ? C^hicf engineer,
$1250. Vou have seen the hremen at woik down
2

14 OUR- COACHING TRIP.

below, perhaps. Do you know any work so hard as
this ? Price $30 per month. The first cost of a steel
ship — and it is scarcely worth while in these days to
think of any other kind — is about one half on the
Clyde what it is on the Delaware. Steel can be made,
and is made, in Britain for one half its cost here.
Not in our day will it be wise for America to leave
the land. It is a ver}^ fair division, as matters
stand — the land for America, the sea for England.

Friday, June 10, 1881.

Land ahoy ! There it was, the long dark low-
lying cloud which was no cloud, but the outline of
one of the most unfortunate of lands — unhappy Ire-
land, cursed by the well-meaning attempt of Eng-
land to grow Englishmen there. England's expe-
rience north of the Tweed should have taught her
better.

We reached Liverpool Saturday morning. How
pleasant it is to step on shore in a strange land and
be greeted by kind friends on the qua}^ ! Their wel-
come to England counted for so much.

Mr. and Mrs. Pullman had been fellow-passen-
gers. A special car was waiting to take them to
London, but they decided not to go, and Mr. Pull-
man very kindly placed it at the disposal of Mr.
Jones and family (who were, fortunately for us, also
fellow-passengers) and our party, so that we began
our travelling upon the other side under unexpected-
ly favorable conditions.

To such of the party as were getting their first
glimpse of the beautiful isle, the journey to London

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 15

seemed an awakening from happy dreams. They
had dreamt England looked thus and thus, and now
their dreams had come true. The scenery of the
Midland route is very fine, much more attractive
than that of the other line.

The party spent from Saturday until Thursday
at the Westminster Hotel, in monster London, every
one being free to do what most interested him or
her. Groups of three or four were formed for this
purpose by the law of natural selection, but the roll
was called for breakfasts and dinners, so that we all
met daily and were fully advised of each other's
movements.

The House of Commons claimed the first place
with our party, all being anxious to see the Mother
of Parliaments. It is not so easy a matter to do this
as to see our Congress in session ; but thanks to our
friend Mr. Robert Clark and to others, we were for-
tunate in being able to do so frequently. Our ladies
had the pleasure of being taken into the Ladies' Gal-
lery by one of the rising statesmen of England, Sir
Charles Dilke, a Cabinet Minister, and one who has
had the boldness, and as I think the rare sagacity, to
say that he prefers the republican to the monarchical
system of government. The world is to hear of Sir
Charles Dilke if he live and health be granted him.

We really heard John Bright speak — the one of
all men living whom our party wished most to see
and to hear. I had not forgotten hearing him speak
in Dunfermline, when I was seven years of age,
and well do I remember that when I got home I told
mother he made one mistake ; for when speaking of
Mr. Smith (the Liberal candidate), he called- him a

1 6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

men., instead of a maan. When introduced to Mr.
Bright I was delighted to find that he had not for-
gotten Dunfermline, nor Erskine Beveridge, nor
Uncle Morrison.

A grand character, that of the sturdy Quaker ;
once the best hated man in Britain, but one to whom
both continents are now glad to confess their grati-
tude. He has been wiser than his generation, but
has hved to see it grow up to him. Certainly no
American can look down from the gallery upon that
white head without beseeching heaven to shower its
choicest blessings upon it. He spoke calmly upon
the Permissive Liquor Bill, and gave the ministerial
statement in regard to it." All he said was good
common sense ; we could do something by regulat-
ing the traffic and confining it to reasonable hours,
but after all the great cure must come from the
better education of the masses, who must be brought
to feel that it is unworthy of their manhood to bru-
talize themselves with liquor. England has set her-
self at last to the most important of all work — the
thorough education of her people ; and we may
confidently expect to see a great improvement in
their habits in the next generation. My plan
for mastering the monster evil of intempeiance is
that our temperance societies, instead of pledging
men never to taste alcoholic beverages, should be
really temperance agencies and require their mem-
bers to use them only at meals— never to drink wines
or spirits without eating. The man who takes a
wlass of wine, or beer, or spirits at dinner is clearly
none the worse for it. I judge that if the medical
fraternity were polled, a large majority would say

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 17

he was the better for it. Why can't we recognize
the fact that all races indulge in stimulants and will
continue to do so? It is the regulation, not the erad-
ication, of this appetite that is practical. The com-
ing man is to consider it low to walk iip to a bar and
gulp down liquor. The race will come to this plat-
form generations before they will accept that of Sir
Wilfred Lawson and his total abstinence ideas.

Mr. Conway's article in Harper s upon Bedford
Square, which gave glowing accounts of this Arca-
dian colony, with its aesthetic homes, its Tabard Inn,
and its club, gave us all a great desire to visit it.
We did so one afternoon, and received a very cordial
welcome from Mrs. Conway in the absence of her
husband. She kindly showed us the grounds and
explained all to us. Truth compels me to say we
were sadly disappointed, but for this we had prob-
ably only ourselves to blame. It is. so natural to
imagine that exquisite wood-cuts and pretty illus-
trations set forth grander things than they do. The
houses were much inferior to our preconceived
ideas, and many had soft woods painted, and most
of the cheap shams of ordinary structures. The ab-
sence of grand trees, shady dells, and ornamental
grounds, and the exceedingly cheap and cheap-look-
ing houses made all seem like a new settlement in
the Far West rather than the latest development of
culture.

From this criticism Mr. Conway's own pretty
little home is wholly exempt, and no doubt there are
many other homes there equally admirable. I speak
only of the general impression made upon our party,
who were all decidedly of opinion that the most

1 8 OUR COACHING TRIP.

charming object there was Mrs. Conway her-
self.

Extremes meet. It was from houses such as I
have spoken of that we went direct to Stafford
House, to mjpet the Marquis of Stafford by appoint-
ment, and to be shown over that palace by him.
What a change ! If the former were not up to our
expectations, this exceeded them. I don't suppose
any one ever has expected to see such a staircase as
enchants him upon entering Stafford House. This
is the most magnificent residence any of us has ever
seen. I will not trust myself to speak of its beau-
ties, nor of the treasures it contains. One begins to
understand to what the Marquis of Stafford is born.
The Sutherland family has a million two hundred
thousand acres of land in Britain ; no other family
in the world compares with it as a landowner. It is
positively startling to think of it. Almost the entire
County of Sutherland is theirs. Stafford House is
their London residence. They have Trentham Hall
and Lillieshall in Mid England, and glorious Dun-
robin Castle in Scotland.

The Marquis sits in the House of Commons as
member for Sutherland County, and what do you
think ! he is a painstaking director of the London and
North-Western Railway, and I am informed pays
strict attention to its affairs. The Duke of Devon-
shire is Chairman of the Barrow Steel Company.
Lord Granville has iron works, and Earl Dudley is
one of the principal iron manufacturers of England.
It is all right, you see, my friends, to be a steel-rail
manufacturer or an iron-master. How fortunate !
But the line must be drawn somewhere, and we draw

BRIGHTON TO INVEKXESS. 19

it at trade. The A. T. Stewarts and the Morrisons
have no standing in society in England. Thej^ are
in vulgar trade. Now if they brewed beer, for in-
stance, they would be somebodies.

We heard a performance of the "Messiah" in
Albert Hall, which Miss Johns agreed with me was
better in two important particulars than any similar
performance we had heard in America. First in
vigor of attack by the chorus ; this was superb,
from the first instant the full volume and quality of
sound were perfect. The other point was that all-
important one of pronunciation. We have no chorus
in New York which rivals what we heard. The
words were of course familiar, and we could scarcely
judge whether we were correct in our impression,
but we believed tha.t even had they been strange to
us we could nevertheless have understood every
word. Since my return to New York I have heard
this oratorio given by the "Oratorio Society, and am
delighted to note that Dr. Damrosch has greatly
improved his chorus in this respect, but the English
do pronounce perfectly in singing. This opinion
was confirmed b}' the music subsequently h.eard in
various places throughout our travels. In public as
well as in private .singing the purity of pronunciation
struck us as remarkable. If I ever set up for a music
teacher I shall bequeath to my favorite pupil as the
secret of success but one word, "pronunciation."

Some of us went almost every day to Westmin-
ster, but dancing attendance upon Parliament is much
like doing so upon Congress. The interesting de-
bates are few and far between. The daily routine
is uninteresting, and one sees how rapidly all houses

20 OUR COACHING TRIP.

of legislation are losing- their hold upon public atten-
tion. A debate upon the propriety of allowing
Manchester to dispose of her sewage to please her-
self, or of permitting Dunfermline to bring in a
supply of water, seems such a waste of time. The
Imperial Parliament of Great Britain seems much in
want of something to do when it condescends to
occupy its tim.e with trifling questions which the
community interested can best settle ; but even in
matters of national importance debates are no longer
what they were. The questions have already been
threshed out in the Reviews — those coming forums
of discussion — and all that can be said already said
by writers upon both sides of the question who know
its bearings much better than the leaders of party.
When the Fortnightly or the Nineteenth Century gets
through with a subject, the Prime Minister only rises
to sum up the result at which the Morleys and
Rogerses and Huxleys have previously arrived.

The English are prone to contrast the men of
America and England who are in political life, and
the balance is no doubt greatly in their favor. But
the reason lies upon the surface : America has
solved the fundamental questions of government, and
no changes are desired of sufficient moment to en-
gage the minds of her ablest men. During the civil
war, when new issues arose and had to be met, the
men who stepped forward to guide the nation were of
an entirely different class from those prominent in
politics either before or since. Contrast the men of
Buchanan's administration with those the war called
to the front — Lincoln, Seward, Stanton, Sumner,
Edmunds, Morton, or the generals with Grant,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 21

Sherman, Sheridan, Hancock. All of these men I
have known well, except one or two of the least prom-
inent. I have met some of the best known politi-
cians in England. Compared morally or intellect-
ually, I do not think there is much, if any, difference
between them ; while for original creative power I
believe the Americans superior. That a band of men
so remarkable as to cause surprise to other nations
will promptly aiise whenever there is real work to
do, no one who knows the American people can
doubt ; but no man of real ability is going to spend
his energies endeavoring to control appointments to
the New York Custom House, any more than he
will continue very long to waste his time discussing
Manchester sewage. Much as my EngHsh friends
dislike to believe it, I tell them that when there is
really no great work to be done, when the conflict
between feudal and democratic ideas ends, as it is
fast coming to an end, and there is no vestige of
privilege left from throne to knighthood, only vain,
weak men Avill seek election to Parliament, and such
will stand ready to do the bidding of the constituen-
cies as our agents in Congress do. But this need
not alarm our English friends ; there will then be
much less bribery before election and much less suc-
cumbing to social court influences after it. The
brains of a country will be found where the real
Avork is to do. The House of Lords registers
the decrees of the House of Commons. The House
of Commons is soon to register the decrees of the
monthlies. Both these things may be pronounced
good. In the next generation the debates of Par-
liament will affect the political currents of the age

2 2 OUR COACHING TRIP.

as little as the fulminations of the pulpit affect re-
ligious thought at present ; and then a man who
feels he has real power within him will think of
enterinof Parliament about as soon as he would think
of entering the House of Lords or the American
Congress.

" The parliament of man, the federation of the world,"

comes on apace ; but its form is to be largely im-
personal. The press is the universal parliament.
The leaders in that forum make your "statesman"
dance as they pipe.

The same law is robbing the pulpit of real power.
Who cares what the Reverend Mr. Froth preaches
nowadays, when he ventures be^'ond the homilies?
Three pages by Professor Robertson Smith in the
" Encyclopsedia Britannica " destroy more theology
in an hour than all the preachers in the land can build
up in a lifetime. If any man. wants bona fide substan-
tial power and influence in this world, he must han-
dle the pen — that's flat. Truly, it is a nobler weapon
than the sword, and a much nobler one than the
tongue, both of which have nearly had their da}' .

We had a happ}^ luncheon with our good friends
the Clarks, one of our London days, and some of
our party who had heard that there was not a great
variety of edibles in England saw reason to revise
their ideas. Another day we had a notable proces-
sion-for miles through London streets and suburbs
to the residence of our friend, Mr. Beck. Five han-
soms in line driven pell-mell reminded me of (^ir
Tokio experiences with Ginrikshaws, two Bettos
tandem in each.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 23

It was a pretty, graceful courtesy, m}^ friend, to
display from the upper window the " Stars and
Stripes," in honor of the arrival of your American
guests, and prettier still to have across your hall as a
portiere, under which all must bow as they entered,
that flag which tells of a government founded upon
the born equality of man. Thanks ! Such things
touch the heart as well as the patriotic chord which
vibrates in the breast of every one so fortunate as to
claim that glorious standard as the emblem of the
land he fondlv calls his own. Colonel Robert
Ingersoll, that wonderful orator, says that when
abroad, after a long interval, he saw in one of the
seaports the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the
breeze, " he felt the air had blossomed into joy."
It was he too who told the South long ago that
" there wasn't air enough upon the American con-
tinent to float two flags." Right there. Colonel !

Do you know why the American worships his
flag with an intenser passion than even the Briton
does ? I will tell you. It is because it is not the
flag of a government which discriminates between
her children, decreeing privilege to one and denying
"it to another, but the flag of the people which gives
the same rights to all. The British flag was born
too soon to be close to the masses. It came before
their time, when they had little or no power. They
were not consulted about it. Some conclave made it
as a Pope is made and handed it down to the nation.
But the American flag bears in every fibre the war-
rant, " We the People in Congress assembled." It
is their own child, and how supremely it is beloved !

It is a significant fact that in no riot or local

24 OUR COACHING TRIP.

outbreak have soldiers ot the United States, bearing
the national flag, ever been assaulted. Militia
troops have sometimes been stoned, but United
States troops never. During the worst riot ever
known in America, that in our own good city of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, twenty-eight United States
soldiers, all there were in the barracks, marched
through the thousands of excited men unmolested.
I really believe that had any man in the crowd dared
to touch that flag. General Dix's famous order would
have been promptly enforced by his companions. I
recently asked Major-General Hancock whether he
had ever known United States soldiers to be attacked
by citizens, and he said he never had. He was in
command of the troops during the riots in the coal
regions in Pennsylvania some years ago, and when-
ever a body of his regulars appeared they were re-
spected and peace reigned.

General Dix's order was, " If any man touches
the Stars and Stripes shoot him on the spot." So
say we all of us. And it will be the same in Britain
some day, ay and in Ireland too, when an end has
been made of privilege and there is not a •govern-
ment and a people, but only a government of the
people, for the people, and by the people. That day
is not so far off either as some of you think, mark me.

But good-bye, London, and all the thoughts
which crow^l upon one when in your mighty whirl.
You monster London, we are all glad to escape
you ! But ere we " gang awa' " shall we not note
our visit to one we are proud to call our friend, and
of whom Scotland is proud. Dr. Samuel Smiles, a
writer of books indeed — books which influence his

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 25

own generation much, and the younger generation
more. Burns's wish was that he

" For poor auld Scotland's sake
Some useful plan or book could make.
Or sing a sang at least."

Well, the Doctor has made several books that are
books, and I have heard him sing a song, too, for the
days of Auld Lang Syne. May he live long, and
long may his devoted wife be spared to watch over
him !

Thursday Morning, June 16, 1881.

We are oft for Brighton. Mr. and Miss Beck
accompany us. Mr. and Mrs. King have run up to
Paisley with the children to get them settled with
the doting grandparents, and Mr. and Mrs. Graham
have joined us in their place. The coach, horses,
and servants went down during the night.

We had time to visit the unecpialled aquarium and
to do the parade before dinner. Miss French and I
stole off to make a much more interesting visit ; we
called upon William Black, whose acquaintance I
had been fortunate enough to make in Rome, and
whom I liad told that I should some day imitate his
"Adventures of a Phaeton." A week before we
sailed from New York I had dined with President
Garfield at Secretary Blaine's in Washington. After
dinner, conversation turned upon my proposed jour-
ne)% and the President became much interested. " It
is the ' Adventures of a Phaeton' on a grand scale,"
he remarked. " By the way, has Black ever writ-
ten any other story quite so good as that ? 1 do not

26 OUR COACHING TRIP.

think he has." In this there was a general concur-
rence. He then said : " But I am provoked with
Black just now. A man who writes to entertain has
no right to end a story as miserabl}^' as he has done
that of ' MacLeod of Dare.' Fiction should give us
the bright side of existence. Real life has tragedies
enough of its ozvn.

A few weeks more and we were to have in his
own case the most terrible proof of the words he
had spoken so solemnly. I can never forget the sad,
careworn expression of his face as he uttered them.

" But come it soon or come it fast,
It is but death that comes at last."

One might almost be willing to die if, as in Garfield's
case, there should flash from his grave, at the touch
of a mutual sorrow, to both divisions of the great
English-speaking race, the knowledge that they are
brothers. This discovery will bear good fruit in
time.

" Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it."

Garfield's life was not in vain. It tells its own
story — this poor boy toiling upward to the proudest
position on earth, the elected of fifty millions of
freemen, a position compared with which that of
king or kaiser is as nothing. Let other nations ask
themselves where are our Lincolns and Garfields }
Ah, they grow not except where all men are born
equal ! The cold shade of aristocracy nips them in
the bud.

jNIr. Black came to see us off, but arrived at our
starting-place a few minutes too late. K thousand
pities ! Had we only known that he intended to do

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 27

US this honor, until high noon, ay, and till dewy eve,
would we have waited. Just think of our start be-
ing- graced by the author of " The Adventures of a
Phaeton," and we privileged to give him three
rousing cheers as our horn sounded. Though
grieved to miss him, it was a consolation to know
that he had come, and we felt that his spirit was
with us and dwelt with us during the entire journey.
Many a time the incidents of his charming story
came back to us, but I am sorry to record, as a faith-
ful chronicler, that we young people missed one of
its most absorbing features — we had no lovers. At
least, I am not apprised that any engagements were
made upon the journey, although, for my part, I
couldn't help falling in love just a tiny bit with the
charming young ladies who delighted us with their
company.

Brighton, Friday Morning, June 17.
Let us call the roll once more at the door of the
Grand Hotel, Brighton, that our history- may be
complete : Mr. and Miss Beck, London ; Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Graham, Wolverhampton ; Cousin
Maggie Lauder, Dunfermline ; dear Emma Franks,
Liverpool ; Mr. and Mrs. McCargo, Miss Jeannic
Johns, Miss Alice French, Benjamin F. Vandevoil,
Henry Phipps, Jr., G. F. McCandless, Mother and
the Scribe. These be the names of the new and de-
lectable order of the Gay Charioteers, who mounted
their coach at Brighton and began the long journey
to the North Countrie on the day and date afore-
said. And here, O my good friends, let me say that
until a man has stood at the door and unexpectedly

28 OUR COACHING TRIP.

seen his own four-in-hand drive up before him, the
horses— four noble bays — champing the bits, their
harness buckles glistening in the sun ; the coach
spick and span new and as glossy as a mirror, with
the coachman on the box hnd the footman behind ;
and then, enchanted, has called to his friends,
" Come, look, there it is, just as I had pictured it !"
and has then sfeen them mount to their places with
beaming faces — until, I say, he has had that experi-
ence, don't tell me that he has known the most exqui-
site sensation in life, for I know he hasn't. It was Izaak
I Walton, I believe, who when asked what he consid-
ered the most thrilling sensation in life, answered
that he supposed it was the tug of a thirty-pound
salmon. Well, that was not a bad guess. I have
taken the largest trout of the season on bonnie Loch
Leven, have been drawn over Spirit Lake in Iowa
in my skiff for half an hour by a monster pickerel,
and have played^ with the speckled beauties in Dead
River. It is glorious ; making a hundred thousand
is nothing to it ; but there's a thrill beyond that, my
dear old quaint Izaak. I remember in one of my
sweet strolls " ayont the wood mill braes" with a
great man, my Uncle Bailie Morrison — and I treas-
ure the memory of these strolls as among the chief
of my inheritance — this very question came up. I
asked him what he thought the most thrilling thing
in life. He mused awhile, as was the Bailie's wont,
and I said, " I think I can tell you. Uncle." " What is
it then, Andrea ?" (Not Andrew for the world, mother
and the Bailie have the other.) " Well, Uncle, I think
that when, in making a speech, one feels himself lifted,
as it were, by some divine power into regions be-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 29

3'ond himself, in which he seems to soar without
effort, and swept by enthusiasm into the expressioa
of some burning truth, which has laid brooding- in
his soul, throwing policy and prudence to the winds,
he feels words whose eloquence surprises himself,
burning hot, hissing through him like molten lava
coursing the veins, he throws it forth, and panting
for breath hears the quick, sharp, explosive roar of
his fellow-men in thunder of assent, the precious mo-
ment which tells him that the audience is his own,
but one soul in it and that his ; I think this the
supreme moment of life." "Go! Andrea, ye've
hit it !" cried the Bailie, and didn't the dark eye
sparkle ! He had felt this often, had the Bailie ; his
nephew had only now and then been near enough to
imagine the rest.

Mr. Adam Johnston once told me that, though he
had heard the most noted orators of Britain, he
never yet heard any one whose mastery of a popular
audience was as complete as uncle's. Great praise
this from such a source ; but the iiead of our fam-
ily, Uncle Tom, was even more than a natural ora-
tor ; with all his glowing fire he was characterized by
rare sagacity and sound common sense. And lipw
sterling his honesty ! All men knew where Tammy
Morrison was to be found. A grand Radical, like
his father before him, and this nephew after him,
who will try, politically speaking at least, never to
disgrace the family.

The happiness of giving happiness is far sweeter

than the pleasure direct, and I recall no moments ol

m}^ life in which the rarer pleasure seemed to

suffuse my whole heart as when I stood at Brighton

3

30 OUR COACHING TRIP.

and saw my friends take their places that memorable
morning. In this variable, fantastic climate of
Britain the weather is ever a source of solicitude.
What must it have been to me, when a good start
was all important ! I remember I awoke early that
day and wondered whether it was sunny or rainy.
If a clear day could have been purchased, it would
have been obtained at almost any outlay. I could
easily tell our fate by raising the window-blind, but
I philosophicaUy decided that it was best to lie still
and take what heaven might choose to send us. I
should know soon enough. If rain it was, I could
not help it ; if fair, it was all right. But let me give
one suggestion to those who in England are impious
enough to ask heaven to change its plans : don't ask
for dry weather ; always resort to that last extrem-
ity when it is " a drizzle-drozzle " you wish. Your
supplications are so much more likely to be an-
swered, you kn(^w.

There never was a lovelier morning in England
than that which greeted me when I pulled up the
heavy Venetian blind and gazed on the rippling sea
before me, with its hundreds of pretty little sails. I
re|>eated to myself these favorite lines as I stood
entranced :

" The Bridegroom Sea is toying with the shore,

His wedded bride ; and in the fulness of his marriage joy
He decorates her tawny brow with shells,
Retires a space to see how fair she looks,
Then proud runs up to kiss her."

That is what old ocean was doing that happy
morning. I saw him at it, and I felt that if all created
beings had one mouth I should like to kiss them too.

BRIGHTON TO lA'VERNESS. 31

All seated ! Mother next the coachman, and I at
her side. The horn sounds, the crowd cheers, and
we are off. A mile or two are traversed and there
is a unanimous verdict upon one point — this suits
us ! Finer than we had dreamt ! As we pass the
pretty villas embossed in flowers and vines and all
that makes England the home of happy homes, there'
comes the sound of increasing exclamations. How
pretty ! Oh, how beautiful ! See, see, the roses !
oh the roses ! Look at that lawn ! How love'ly !
Enchanting ! entrancing ! superb ! exquisite ! Oh,
I never saw anything like this in all my life ! And
then the hum of song — La-/rt:-LA-LA, Ra-da-</(rr-DUM !
Yes, it is all true, all we dreamt or imagined and be-
yond it. And so on we go through Brighton and
up the hills to the famous Weald of Sussex.

While wc make our first stop to water the horses
at the wayside inn, and some of the men as well, for
a glass of beer asserts its attractions, let me introduce
you to two worthies whose names will occupy im-
portant places in our narrative, and dwell in our
memories forever ; men to whom wc are indebted in
a large measure for the success of the coaching ex-
periment.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Perry, Perry our
coachman ; and what he doesn't know about horses
and how to handle them you needn't overtask your-
selves trying to learn. And this is Joe — Joey, m^-
lad — footman and coach manager. A good head
and an eloquent tongue has Joe. Yes, and a kind
heart. There, is nothing he can do or think of doing
lor any of us — and he can do much — that he is not
ofl and doing ere we ask him. " Skid, Joe I"

32 OUR COACHING TRIP.

" Right, Perry !" these talismanic words of our order
we heard to-day for the first time. It will be many a
long da)^ before they cease to recall to the Charioteers
some of the happiest recollections of life. Even as
I write I am in English meadows far away and hear
them tingling in my ears.

It was soon discovered that no mode of travel
could be compared with coaching. By all other
modes the views are obstructed by the hedges and
walks ; upon the top of the coach the eye wanders
far and wide,

" O'er deep waving fields and pastures green,
With gentle slopes and groves between."

Everything of rural England is seen, and how exqui-
sitely beautiful it all is, this quiet, peaceful, orderly
land !

" The ground's most gentle dimplement

(As if God's finger touched, but did not press,

In making England) — such an up and down

Of verdure ; nothing too much up and down,

A ripple of land, such little hills the sky

Can stoop to tenderly and the wheat-fields climb ;
■ Such nooks of valleys lined with orchises,

Fed full of noises by invisible streams,

I thought my father's land was worthy too of being Shakespeare's."

I think this extract from Mr. Winter's charming
volume expresses the feelings one has amid such
scenes better than anything I know of :

" If the beauty of England were merely super-
ficial, it would produce a merely superficial effect. It
would cause a passing pleasure, and would be forgot-
ten. It certainly would not— as now in fact it does —
inspire a deep, joyous, serene and grateful content-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 33

ment, and linger in the mind, a gracious and benefi-
cent remembrance. The conquering and lasting
potency of it resides not alone in loveliness of ex-
pression, but in loveliness of character. Having first
greatly blessed the British Islands with the natural
advantages of position, climate, soil, and products,
nature has wrought out their development and
adornment as a necessary consequence of the spirit
of their inhabitants. The picturesque variety and
pastoral repose of the English landscape spring, in
a considerable measure, from the imaginative taste
and the affectionate gentleness of the English peo-
ple. The state of the country, like its social consti-
tution, flows from principles within (which are con-
stantly suggested), and it steadily comforts and
nourishes the mind with a sense of kindly feeling,
moral rectitude, solidity, and permanence. Thus, in
the peculiar beauty of England the ideal is made the
actual, is expressed in things more than in words,
and in things by which words are transcended.
Milton's ' L' Allegro,' fine as it. is, is not so fine as
the scenery — the crystallized, embodied poetry — ^out
of which it arose. All the delicious rural verse that
has been written in England is only the excess and
superflux of her own poetic opulence ; it has rippled
from the hearts of her poets just as the fragrance
floats away from her hawthorn hedges. At every
step of his progress the pilgrim through English
scenes is impressed with this sovereign excellence of
the accomplished fact, as contrasted with any words
that can be said in its celebration."

The roads are a theme of continual wonder to
those who have not before seen England. To say

34 OUR COACHING TRIP.

that from end to end of our journey they equalled
those of New York Central Park would be to un-
derstate the fact. Thev are equal to the park roads
on days when these are at their best, and are
neither dry nor dusty. We bowl over them as balls
do over billiard-tables. It is a glide rather than a
roll, with no sensation of jolting. You could write
or read on the coach almost as well as at home. I
mean you could if there was any time to waste do-
ing either, and you were not afraid of missing some
beautiful picture which would dwell in your memor)'-
for years, or Aleck's last joke, or Jeannie's sweet
song, Andrew Martin's never-to-be-forgotten lilt, or
the Lady Dowager's Scotch ballad pertaining to
the district ; or what might be even still more likely,
if you didn't want to tell a story yourself, or even
join in the roaring chorus as we roll along, for truly
the exhilarating effect of the triumphant progress is
such as to embolden one to do anything. I always
liked Artemus Ward, perhaps because I found a point
of similarity between him and myself. It was not he
but his friend who " was saddest when he sang," as
the old song has it. I noticed that my friends were
strangely touched when I burst into song. I do
not recall an instance when I was encored ; but the
apparent slight arose probably from a suspicion that
if recalled I would have essayed the same song.
This is unjust ! I have another in reserve for such
an occasion, if it ever happen. The words are differ-
ent, although the tune may be somewhat similar.
When I like a tune I stick to it, more or less, and
when there are fine touches in several tunes I have
been credited with an eclectic disposition. How-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 35

ever this may be, there was never time upon our
coach for anything which called our eyes and our
attention from the rapid succession of pretty cot-
tages, fine flowers, the birds and lowing herds, the
grand lights and grander shadows of that uncertain
fleecy sky, the luxuriance of the verdure, flowery
dells and dewy meads, and the hundred surprising
beauties that make England England.

These bind us captive and drive from the mind
every thought of anything but the full and intense
enjoyment of the present hour ; and this comes
without thought. Forgetful of the past, regardless
of the future, from morn till night, it is one uninter-
rupted season of pure and unallo3^ed joyousness.
Never were the w^ords of the old Scotch song as
timely as now :

" The present moment is our ain,
The neist we never see."

Having got the party fairly started, let me tell
you something of our general arrangements for the
campaign. The coach, horses, and servants are en-
gaged at a stipulated sum per week, which includes
their travelling expenses. We have nothing to do
with their bills or arrangements, neither are we in
any wise responsible for accidents to the property.
.Every one is allowed a small hand-bag and a strap
package ; the former contains necessary articles for
daily use, the latter waterproofs, shawls, shoes, etc.
The Gay Charioteers march with supplies for one
week. The trunks are forwarded every week to the
point where we arc to spend the succeeding Sunda)',
so that every Saturday evening we replenish our

36 OCT J? COACHING TRIP.

wardrobe, and at the Sunday evening dinner our
ladies appear in grand toilette. In no case did any
failure of this plan occur, nor were we ever put to
the slightest inconvenience about clothing. Our
hotel accommodations were secured by telegraph.
Mr. Graham, previous to our start, had engaged
these for our first week's stage.

The question of luncheon soon came to the front,
for should we be favored with fine weather, much of
the poetry and romance of the journey, was sure to
cluster round the midday halt. It was by a pro-
cess of natural selection that she who had proved
her genius for making salads on many occasions
during the voyage should be unanimously appointed
to fill the important position of stewardess, and
given full and unlimited control of the hampers.
Miss French lived up to a well-deserved reputation
by surprising us day after day with luncheons far
excelling any dinner. Two coaching hampers, very
complete affairs, were obtained in London, These
the stewardess saw filled at the inn every morning
with the best the country could afford, giving this
her personal supervision, a labor of love. Harry's
sweet tooth led him to man}^ early excursions before
breakfast in quest of sweets and flowers for us. Aleck
was butler, and upon him we placed implicit reliance,
and with excellent reason too, for the essential
corkscrew and the use thereof — which may be rated
as of prime necessity upon such a tour — and Aleck
never failed us as superintendent of the bottles.

It was in obedience to the strictest tenets of our
civil service reform association that the most im-
portant appointment of all was made with a unanimity

Brighton to Inverness. 37

which must ever be flattering to the distinguished
gentleman who received the highly responsible ap-
pointment of general manager. Gardiner had evi-
dently been born for the position. A man does not
generally learn until he is forty what he can do to
perfection ; but there are thirty-two ready to certify
that our general manager has not needed to wait so
long. If he ever requires backers as the best man-
ager— the very ideal manager of a coaching part}^ —
apply within. He had ten da3's' instruction from a
master hand, friend Graham, who resigned office and
retired to the shades of private life at Wolverhamp-
ton. It was Mr. Graham who arranged all the pre-
liminaries, so that none of us had a thing to do at
Brighton but to mount into our seats. He and
Gardiner are twins in greatness, and, as far as our
party is concerned, neither could be equalled except
by the other. Just here let me note, for the peace of
mind of any gentleman who may be tempted to try
the coaching experiment : Don't, unless you have a
dear friend with a clear head, an angelic disposition,
a great big heart, and the tact essential for govern-
ing, who for 3-our sake is willing to relieve you from
the cares incident to such a tour — that is, if you ex-
pect to cnjo}' it as a recreation, and have something
that forever after will linger in the memory as an
adventure in wonderland.

There must always be a tendency toward group-
ing in a large party : groups of four or five, and in
extreme cases a group of two ; and especially is this
so when married people, cousins, or dear friends are
of the company. To prevent anything like this, and
insure our being one united party, I asked the gen-

38 OUR COACHING TRIP.

tlemen not to occupy the same seat twice in succes-
sion— a rule which gave the ladies a different com-
panion at each meal. This was understood to apply
in a general way to our strolls, although in this case
the general manager, with rare discretion, winked at
many infringements, which insured him grateful
constituents of both sexes. Young people should
never be held too strictly to such rules, and a chape-
ron's duties, as we all know% are often most success-
fully performed by a wise and salutary neglect.
Our general manager and even the Lady Dowager
were considerate.

We generally started about half-past nine in the
morning, half an hour earlier or later as the day's
journey was to be long or short ; and here let me
record, to the credit of all, that not in any instance
had we ever to wait for any of the party beyond the
five minutes allowed upon all well-managed lines for
" variation of watches." The horn sounded, and
we were off through the cro\vds Avhich were usually
around the hotel door awaiting the start. Nor even
at meals were we less punctual or less mindful of the
comfort of others. I had indeed a model party in
every way, and in none more praiseworthy than in
this, that the Charioteers were always " on time."
Jeannie's explanation may have reason in it : " Who
wouldn't be read}- and waiting to mount the coach !
I'd as soon be late, and a good deal sooner, maybe,
for my wedding as for meals ; there was even a
better reason why we were always ready then : we
could hardly wait," We did indeed eat like hawks,
especially at luncheon— a real boj^'s hunger — the
ravenous gnawing after a day at the sea gathering

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 39

whilks. I thought this had left me, but that with
many another characteristic of glorious youth came
once more to make daft callants of us. O those
days ! those happy, happ}^ days ! Can they be
brought back once more ? Will a second coaching
trip do it ? I would be off next summer. But one
hesitates to put his luck to the test a second time,
lest the perfect image of the first be marred. We
shall see.

During the evening we had learned the next day's
stage — where we were to stay over night, and, what
is almost as important, in what pretty nook we were
to rest at midday ; on the banks of what classic
stream or wimpling burn, or in what shady, moss-
covered dell. Several people of note in the neigh-
borhood dropped into the inn, as a rule, to see the
American coaching party, whose arrival in the vil-
lage had made as great a stir as if it were the ad-
vance show- wagon of Barnum's menagerie. From
these the best route and objects of interest to be
seen could readily be obtained. The ordnance maps
which we carried kept us from trouble about the
right roads ; not only this, they gave us the name of
every estate we passed, and of its owner.

The horses have to be considered in selecting a
luncheon-place, which should be near an inn, where
they can be baited. This was rarely inconvenient ;
but upon a few occasions, when the choice spot was
in some glen or secluded place, we took oats along,
and our horses were none the worse off lor nibbling
the roadside grass and drinking from the brook.
Nor did the i)arty look less like the aristocratic gyp-
sies they felt themselves to be from having their

40 OUR COACHING TRIP.

coach standing on the moor or in the glen, and the
horses picketed near by, as if we were just the true-
born gypsies. And was there ever a band of gypsies
happier than we, or freer from care ? Didn't we
often dash off in a roar :

" See ! the smoking bowl before us, '

Mark our jovial ragged ring !
Round and round take up the chorus,

And in raptures let us sing.
A fig for those by law protected !

Liberty's a glorious feast !
Courts for cowards were erected,

Churches built to please the priest."

Halt ! Ho for luncheon ! Steps, Joe. Yes, sir!
The committee of two dismount and select the
choicest little bit of sward for the table. It is not
too warm, still we will not refuse the shade of a
noble chestnut or fragrant birk, or the side of a tall
hedge, on which lie, in one magnificent bed, masses
of honeysuckle, over which nod, upon graceful
sprays, hundreds of the prettiest wild roses, and at
whose foot grow the foxglove and wandering willie.

It is no easy matter to decide which piece of the
velvety lawn is finest ; but here come Joe and Perry
with armfuls of rugs to the chosen spot. The rugs
are spread two lengthwise a few feet apart, and one
across at the top and bottom, leaving for the table in
the centre the fine clovered turf with buttercups and
daisies pied. The ladies have gathered such handfuls
of wild flowers ! How fresh, how unaffected, and
how far beyond the more pretentious bouquets which
grace our city dinners ! These are Nature's own dear
children, fresh from her lap, besprinkled with the

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 41

dews of heaven, unconscious of their charms. How
touchingly beautiful are the wild flowers ! real friends
are they, close to our hearts, while tho^e of the con-
servatory stand outside, fashionable acquaintances
onl}-.

Give us the wild flowers, and take your prize
varieties ; for does not even Tennyson (a good deal
of a cultivated flower himself) sing thus of the
harshest of them all, though to a Scotsman sacred
beyond all other vegetation :

" the stubborn thistle bursting
Into glossy purples, which outredden
All voluptuous garden roses."

And in that wonder of our generation, the " Light
of Asia," it is no garden beauties who are addressed :

■" Oh, liowers of the field ! Siddartha said,
Who turn your tender faces to the sun —
Glad of the light, and grateful with sweet breath
Of fragrance and these robes of reverence donned,
Silver and gold and purple — none of ye
Miss perfect living, none of ye despoil
Your happy beauty.

What secret know ye that ye grow content,
From time of tender shoot to time of fruit.
Murmuring such sun- songs from your feathered crowns ?"

You may be sure that while in Scotland old Sco-
tia's dear emblem, and tliat most graceful of all
flowers, the Scottish bluebell, towered over our
bouquets, and that round them clustered the others
less known to fame.

It was an easy matter to tic the flowers round
sticks and press these into the soft lawn, and then
there was a table for you— equal it who can ! Round

42 OUR COACHING TRIP.

this the travellers range themselves upon the rugs,
sometimes finding in back to back an exxellent sup-
port, for they sat long at table ; and see at the head —
for it's the head wherever the Queen Dowager sits —
mother is comfortably seated upon the smaller of the
two hampers. The larger placed on end before her
gives her a private table : she has an exxellent seat,
befitting her dignity. Joe and Perry have put the
horses up at the inn, and are back with m.ugs of
foaming ale, bottles of Devonshire cider, lemonade,
and pitchers of fresh creamy milk, that all tastes may
be suited. The stewardess and her assistants have
set table, and now luncheon is ready. No formal
grace is necessar}^ for our hearts have been over-
flowing with gratitude all the day long for the
blessed happiness showered upon us. We owe no
man a grudge, harbor no evil, have forgiven all our
enemies, if we have any — for we doubt the existence
of enemies, being ourselves the enemy of none. Our
hearts open to embrace all things, both great and
small ; we are only sorry that so much is given to
us, so little to many of our more deserving fellow-
creatures. Truly, the best grace this, before meat or
after 1

" He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small ;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all."

In these days we feel for the Deevil himself,
and wish with Burns that he would take a thought
and mend ; and, as Howells says, if we had the
namins: of creation we wouldn't call snakes snakes
while coaching.

BRIGHTON TO TYVERNESS. 43

No one would believe what fearful appetites
driving in this climate gives one. Shall we ever
feel such tigerish hunger again ! but, what is just as
important, shall we ever again have such luncheons !
" Give me a sixpence," said the beggar to the duke,
"for I'liave nothing." " You lie, you beggar ; I'd
give a thousand pounds for such an appetite as
you've got." Well, ours would have been cheap to
you, my lord duke, at double the money. What a
roar it caused one day when one of the young ladies
was discovered quietly taking the third slice Of cold
ham. • "Well, girls, you must remember I was on the
front seat, and had to stand the brunt of the weather
this morning. ' ' Capital ! I had been there at her side,
and got my extra allowance on the same ground ;
and those who bore the brunt of the weather claimed
a great many second and even third allowances dur-
ing the journey.

Aleck (^rtleck, not El-eck, remember), set the table
in a roar so often with his funny sayiiigs and doings
that it would fill the record were I to recount them,
but one comes to mind as I write which was a great
hit.

A temperance — no, a total abstinence *lady. re-
buked him once for taking a second or third glass of
something, telling him that he should try to conquer
his liking for it, and assuring him that if he would
only resist the Devil he would flee from him. "I
know," said the wag (and with such a comical, good-
natured expression), "that is what the good book

says, Mrs. , but I have generally found that I

was the fellow who had to get." You couldn't
corner Aaleck.

44- OUR COACHING TRIP.

Although we were coaching, it must not be
thought that we neglected the pleasures of walking.
No, indeed, we had our daily strolls. Sometimes
the pedestrians started in advance of the coach from
the inn or the luncheon ground, and walked until
ovei taken, and at other times we would dismount
some miles before we reached the end of the day's
journey, and walk into the village. This was a
favorite plan, as we found by arriving later than the
main body our rooms were ready and all the friends
in our general sitting-room standing to welcome us.

Hills upon the route were always hailed as giving
us an opportunity for a walk or a stroll, and all the
sport derivable from a happy party in country lanes.
It was early June, quite near enough to

" The flowery May who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose,"

and the hundreds of England's wild beauties with

" quaint enamcll'd eyes,
That on the green turf suck the honeyed showers,
And purple all the ground with vernal flowers."

We carried perpetual flowering summer with us
as we travelled from south to north, plucking the
wild roses and the honeysuckles from the hedges
near»Brighton, never missing their sweet influences,
and finding them ready to welcome us at Inverness,
as if they had waited till our approach to burst forth
in their beauty in kindly greeting of their kinsmen
from over the sea. A dancing, laughing welcome
did the wild flowers of m.y native land give to us,
God bless them !

On our arrival at the inn for the night, the gener-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 45

al manager examined the rooms and assigned them ;
Joe and Perry handed over the bags to the servants ;
the party went direct to their general sitting-room,
and in a few minutes were taken to their rooms,
where all was ready for them. The two American
flags were placed upon the mantel of the sitting-
room, in which there was always a piano, and we sat
down to dinner a happy band.

The long twilight and the gloaming in Scotland
gave us two hours after dinner to see the place ; and
after our return an hour of musical entertainment was
generally enjoyed, and we were off to bed to sleep the
sound, refreshing sleep of childhood's innocent days.
The duties of the general manager, however, re-
quired his attendance down stairs; he had to-morrow's
route to learn and the landlord or landlady, as the
case might be, to see. Some of the male members
of the party were not loath to assist in this business,
and I have heard many a story of the pranks played
— for these good friends Aleck, Graham, and Martin
are not unlike Mr. John S. Kennedy's Piper, " Rory
Murphy,"

" Who had of good auld sangs the wale
To please the wives that brewed good ale ;
He charmed the swats frae cog and pail
As he cam through Uuinbarton."

No doubt the landlord's laugh was ready chorus,
and the Gay Charioteers of this department, I make
bold to say, tasted most of the " far ben" barrels of
every landlord or landlady .in their way northward.
The question of the weather occurs to every one. " If
you have a dry season, it may be done ; if a wet
one, I doubt it," was the opinion of one of my wisest
4

46 OUR COACHING TRIP.

friends in Britain. We Avere surprisingly fortunate
in this respect. Only one day did we suffer seriously
from rain. A gentle shower fell now and then to
cool the air and lay the dust, or rather to prevent
the dust, and seemingly to recreate vegetation. Who
wouldn't bear a shower, if properly supplied with
waterproofs and umbrellas, for the fresh glory re-
vealed thereafter. Only a continual downpour for
days could have dampened the ardor of the Gay'
Charioteers. Good coaching weather may be ex-
pected in June and July, if one may indulge any
weather anticipations in England. After we left the
deluge came ; nothing but rain was reported dur-
ing August and September. Strong, thick shoes,
one pair in reserve, and overshoes for the ladies,
heavy woollen clothing — under and over — a water-
proof, an umbrella, and a felt hat that won't spoil —
these rendered us almost independent of the weather
and prepared us to encounter the worst ever predicted
of the British climate ; and this is saying a great deal,
for the natives do grumble inordinately about it. As
I have said, however, our travelling was never put
to a severe test. England and Scotland smiled upon
the coaching party,, and compelled us all to fall
deeply in love with their unrivalled charms. We
thought that even in tears this blessed isle must still
be enchanting. The same horses (with one excep-
tion) took us through from Brighton to Inverness.
This has surprised some horsemen here, but little do
they know of the roads and climate, nor of Perry's
care. The horses were actually in better condition
after the journey than when they started. For
luncheon, "good my liege, all place a temple and

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 47

all seasons summer;" but for lodgings and entertain-
ment for man and beast, how did we manage these ?
Shall we not take our ease in our inn ? and shall not
mine host of The Garter, ay and mine hostess too,
prove the most obliging of people ? I do not sup-
pose that it would be possible to find in any other
country such delightful inns at every stage of such a
journey. Among many pretty objects upon which
memory lovingly rests, these little wayside inns
stand prominently forward. The very names carry
one back to quaint days of old : " The Lamb and
Lark," " The Wheat Sheaf," " The Barley Mow."
Oh, you fat wight, your inn was in Eastcheap, but in
your march through Coventry, when you wouldn't
go with your scarecrows, it was to some pretty inn
you went, you rogue, with its trailing vines, thatched
roof, and pretty garden flower-pots in the windows ;
and upon such excursions it was, too, that you ac-
quired that love of nature which enabled the master
with six words to cover most that was unsavory in
your character, and hand you down to generations
unborn, shrived and absolved. Dear old boy — whom
one would like to have known — for after all you
were right. Jack : " If Adam felj in an age of inno-
cency, what was poor Jack Falstaff to do in an age
of villainy !" There was something pure and good
at bottom of one who left us after life's vanities were
o'er pla3'ing with flowers and " babbling o' green
fields." These country hostelrics are redolent of the
green fields. It is in such we would take our ease
in our inn. The host, hostess, and servants assem-
bled at the door upon our arrival, and welcomed us
to their home, as they also cio when wc leave to bid

48 OUR COACHING TRIP.

US God-speed. We mount and drive off with smiles,
bows, and wavings of the hands from them ; and
surely the smiles and good wishes of those who have
done so much to promote our comfort over night
are no bad salute for us as we blow our horn and
start on the fresh dewy mornings upon our day's
journey.

The scrupulous care bestowed upon us and our
belongings by the innkeepers excited remark. Not
one article was lost of the fifty packages, great and
small, required by fifteen persons. It was not even
practicable to get rid of any trifling article which
had served its purpose ; old gloves or discarded
brushes quietly stowed away in some drawer or
other would be handed to us at the next stage, hav-
ing betsn sent by express by these careful, honest
people. It was a great and interesting occasion, as
the reporters say, when the stowed-away pair of old
slippers which she had purposely left, were deliv-
ered to one of our ladies with a set speech after din-
ner one evening. Little did she suspect what was
contained in the nice package which had been for-
Avarded. Our cast-off things were veritable devil's
ducats which would return to plague us.

We all have our special weaknesses as to the
articles we leave behind at hotels. Mine is well
known ; but I smile as I write at the cleverness
shown in preventing my lapses during the excursion
from coming before the congregation. It was a
wary eye which was kept upon forwarded parcels,
mark you, and not once was I presented with a left
article. The eleventh commandment is, not to be
found out. •

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 49

With these general observations we shall not
"leave the subject with you," but, retracing- our
steps to the hills overlooking Brighton, we shall
mount the coach waiting there for us at the King's
Cross Inn ; for you remember we dismounted there
while the horses were watered for the first time.
Ten miles of bewildering pleasure had brought us
here ; some of us pushed forward and had our first
stroll, but we scattered in a minute, for who could
resist the flowers which tempted us at every step !
The roses were just in season : the honeysuckle,
ragged robin, meadow sweet, wandering willie, and
who can tell how many others whose familiar names
are household words. What bouquets we gathered,
what exclamations of delight were heard as one
mass of beauty after another burst upon our sight !
We began to realize that Paradise lay before us, be-
gan to know that we had discovered the ra'rest plan
upon earth for pleasure ; as for duty that was not
within our horizon. We scarcely knew there was
work to do. An echo of a moan from the weary
world we had cast behind was not heard. Divinest
melancholy was out of favor ; II Penseroso, was dis-
carded for the time, and L' Allegro, the happier god-
dess, crowned, bringing in her train-—

" Sport, that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter, holding both his sides ;
Come, and trip it as you go.
On the light, fantastic toe."

That does not quite express it, for there was time
for nioincntar}'- pauses now and then, when the heart
swelled with gratitude. We were so grateful for
beinir so blessed. It was during this stroll that

50 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Emma came quietly to my side, slipped her arm in
mine, and said in that rich, velvety English voice
which we all envy her : " Oh, Andrew, when I am
to go home you will have to tell me plainly, for in-
deed I shall never be able to leave this of my own
accord. I haven't been as happy since I wasaj^oung
girl." " Do you really think you could go all the
way to Inverness?" " Oh, I could go on this way
forever." "All right, my lady, 'check your bag-
gage through,' as we say in Yankeedom ;" and never
did that woman lose sight of the coach till it was
torn away from her at Inverness. We reached
Horsham and lunched there at the King's Arms,
walked about its principal square, and were off again
for Guildford. As we leave the sea the soil becomes
richer, and ere we reach Horsham we say, yes, this
is England indeed ; but I forgot we passed through
the Weald of Sussex before reaching Horsham. The
cloudy sky cast deep shadows with the sunbeams
over the rich, wooded landscape, as no clear blue
sky has power to do, and brought to my mind Mrs.
Browning's lines :

. . . " my woods in Sussex have some purple shades at gloaming,
Which are worthy of a king in state, or poet in his youth.

**********
Oh, the blessed woods of Sussex, I can hear them still around me,
With their leafy tide o\ greenery still rippling up the wind !"

And many a stately home did we see, fit for her
" who spake such good thoughts natural."

Mrs. Browning is said to have written Lady
Geraldme in a few hours, lying upon a sofa. This
is one of the proofs cited that genius does its work
as if by inspiration without great effort. What

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 51

nonsevnse ! The Victoria Regina bursts into flower
in a day ; but, look you, a hundred years, of quiet,
unceasing- growth, which stopped not night nor
day, was the period of labor preceding the miracle
— a hundred years, during all of which the vine
drank of the sunshine and the dews. Scott wrote
some of his best works in a few weeks, but for a life-
time he never flagged in his Avork of gathering the
fruits of song and story. Burns dashed off "A
man's a man for a' that" in a jiffy- Yes, but for
how many years were his very heartstrings tingling
and his blood boiling at the injustice of hereditar}'
rank ! His life is in that song, not a few hours of it.

Guildford, June 17.

The approach to Guildford gives us our first real,
pertect English lane — so narrow and so bound in by
towering hedgerows worthy the name. Had we
met a vehicle at some of the prettiest turns there
would have been trouble, for, although the lane is
not quite as narrow at the pathway of the auld brig,
where two wheelbarrows trembled as they met, yet
a four-in-hand upon an English lane requires a clear
track. Vesretation near Guildford is luxuriant enough
to meet our expectations of England. It was at the
White Lion we halted, and here came our first ex-
perience of quarters for the night. The first dinner
en route was a decided success in our fine sitting-
room, the American flags, brought into requisition
for the first time to decorate the mantel, bringing to
all sweet memories of home.

We had done our first day's coaching, and a long
dav at that, and looking back it is amusing to remem-

53 OUR COACHING TRIP.

ber how anxiously I awaited the reports of the ladies
of our party ; for it was not without grave apprehen-
sion that some must fall by the wayside, as it were,
as we journeyed on. One who had tried coaching
upon this side had informed me that few ladies could
stand it; but it was very evident that the spirits and
appetites of ours were entirely satisfactory, and they
all laughed at the idea that they could not go on for-
ever. Mother was quite as fresh as any. It was a
shame that general orders consigned to bed at an
early hour- two -of the ladies thought least robust,
while the others walked about the suburbs of Guild-
ford until late. I recollect we stood in the thicken-
ing twilight in front of an ivy-clad residence for some
time, and asked each other if anything so exquisite
had ever been seen, so full of rest, of home. The
next morning all were fresh and happy, without a
trace of fatigue — full of yesterday, and quite sure
that no other day could equal it. But this was often
said : many and many a day was voted the finest yet,
only to be eclipsed in its turn by a later, till at last
an effort to name our best day led to twenty selec-
tions, and ended in the general conclusion that it was
impossible to say which had crowded within its hours
the rarest treat, for none had all the finest, neither
did any lack something of the best. But there is one
point upon which a unanimous verdict can always
be had from the Gay Charioteers, that to such days in
the mass none but themselves can be their parallel.

I ran into a book-shop in the morning and ob-
tained a local guide-book, that I might cull for you
the proper quotations therefrom. It consists of 148
pages, mostly given up to notices of the titled people

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 53

who visited the old town long ago ; but who cares
about them ? Here, however, is something of more
interest than all those nobodies. Cobbett says of
Guildford, in his " Rural Rides ":

" I, who have seen so many towns, think this the
prettiest and most happy-looking I ever saw in my
life." There's praise for you ! But, then, he had
never seen Dunfermline. Here is a characteristic
touch of that rare, horse-sense kind of a man. He
is enraptured over the vale of Chilworth.

" Here, in this tranquil spot, where the nightin-
gales are to be heard earlier and later in the year
than in anv other part of England, where the first
budding of the trees is seen in the spring, where no
rigor of seasons can ever be felt, where everything
seems framed for precluding the very thought of
wickedness — this has the devil fixed on as one of his
seats of his grand manufactory, and perverse and
even ungrateful man not only lends his aid, but lends
it cheerfully."

Since these days, friend Cobbett, the devil has
much enlarged his business in gunpowder and bank-
notes, of which you complain. He was only making
a start when you wrote. The development of manu-
factures in America (under a judicious tariff, be it
reverently spoken), amazing as it has been, and
carried on as a rule by the saints, is slow work com-
pared with what his satanic majesty has been doing
in these two departments. We must bestir ourselves
betimes.

You remember Artemus Ward's encounter with
the colporteur. After a long, dusty day's journey,
arriving at the hotel, he applied to the barkeeper for

54 OUR COACHING TRIP.

a mint-julep, and just as Artemus was raising the
tempting draught to his lips, a hand was laid upon
his arm and the operation arrested. The missionary
in embryo said in a kind of sepulchral tone, for he
was only a beginner and had not yet reached that
true professional voice which comes only after years
of exhortation : " My friend, look not upon the wine
when it is red. It stingeth like a serpent and it bit-
eth as an adder." " Guess not, stranger," i-eplied
Artemus, " not if you put sugar in it."

It is just so with bank-notes, friend Cobbett.
They don't bite worth a cent, neither do they sting,
if you have government bonds 'behind them. But
this was not understood in your day.

There is a funny thing in this guide-book.
" There also resides Mr. Martin Farquhar Tupper,
the author of * Proverbial Philosophy,' etc. He
has eulogized the scene around as follows :" Then
come two pages of Tupper. I naturally looked to
see the name of the author of the book, but none
was given. Such modesty ! But I think the case a
clear one, for who but Tupper would quote Tupper I
" Sir," said Johnson to Bossy, " Sir, I never did
the man an injury in my life, and yet he would per-
sist in reading his tragedy to me," Here's the
concluding quotation from the guide-book of Guild-
ford, and I promise not to quote much more from
any similar source.

Cobbett says that in Albury Park he saw some
plants of the " American cranberry, which not only
grow here, but bear fruit, and therefore it is clear
that they may be cultivated with great ease in this
country." And so they have been and are. Pota-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 55

toes, tomatoes, and cranberries — look at the great
blessings America has bestowed upon the " author
of her being- ;" and what won't grow in the rain and
fog, doesn't she grow for her and send over by every
steamer, from canvas-back ducks to Newtown pip-
pins ! At dinner-tables in England, nowadays, to the
usual grace, " O Lord ! for what we are about to re-
ceive make us truly thankful," there should be add-
ed, "and render us truly grateful to our big son
Jonathan."

One could settle down at the White Lion in
Guildford, and spend a month, at least, visiting every
day fresh objects of interest, and I have no doubt
becoming day by day more charmed with the life he
was leading. In every direction historical scenes,
crowded full of instructive stories of the past, invite
us; and yet to-morrow morning the horn will sound,
and we shall be off, reluctantly saying to ourselves,
we must return some day when we have leisure,
and wander in and around, absorb and moralize.
This rapid survey is only to show us what we can
do hereafter. A summer to each county would not
be too much, and here arc eight hundred miles from
sea to firth to be rushed over in seven weeks. Guild-
ford, farewell ! — on " to fresh fields and pastui-es
new. " During our second day's stage we learned the
valuable lesson that we should not attempt to coach
through England without having the ordnance sur-
vey maps, and paying close attention to them. In
this part of the country, so near to monster London,
the roads and lanes arc innumerable, and run here,
there, and everywhere. Vou can reach an}^ point
by many different roads. Guide-posts have a_dozeii

56 OUR COACHING TRIP.

names upon them. We did some sailing out of our
course to-day, and found many charming spots not
down in the chart, which the straight line would
have caused us to miss ; but it was late ere Wind-
sor's towers made their appearance. The day was
not long enough for us, long as it was, but the fifty
miles we are said to have traversed were quite
enough for the horses. But next day would be Sun-
day, Ave said, and they had a long rest to look for-
ward to at Windsor.

Windsor, June 18-20.

Upon reaching the forest, general manager Gra-
ham insisted that the chief should take the reins and
drive his part}^ through the royal domain. This was
my first trial as a whip of a four-in-hand, and not a
very successful one either. It's easy enough to han-
dle the ribbons, but how to do this and spare a hand
for the whip troubles one. As Josh Billings remarks
in the case of religion, " It's easy enough to get
religion, but to hold on to it is what bothers a
fellow. A good grip is here worth more than
rubies." I had not the grip for the whip, but it
did give me a rare pleasure when I- got a moment
or two now and then (when Perry held the whip),
to think that I was privileged to drive my friends in
style up to Her Majesty's very door at Windsor.
Only to the door, for that good woman was not at
home, but in bonnie Scotland, sensible lady! As we
were en route ourselves, we were quite in the fashion.
Some of her republican subjects were quite disappoint-
ed at not getting a glimpse of her during the tour.

The drive through the grounds gave to some of
our party their first sight of an English park, and I

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 57

am sure the impression it made upon them will never
be effaced.

Windsor at last, a late dinner and a stroll through
the quaint town, the castle towering; over all in the
cloudy night, and we are off to bed, but not before
we had enjoyed an hour of the wildest frolic, though
tired and sleepy after the long drive. We laughed
until our sides ached, but how vain to attempt to de-
scribe the fun ! To detail the trifles light as air
which kept us in a roar during our excursion is like
offering you stale champagne. No, no, gone for-
ever are those rare nothings which were so delicious
when fresh ; but, for the benefit of the members of
the Circle, I'll just sa}^ " Poole." It was a happy
thought to put Gardiner's suit of new clothes in
Davie's package and await results. We had all or-
dered travelling suits in London, and when they
arrived we all began to try them on at once. Da-
vie's disappointment at getting an odd-looking suit
fancied by Gardiner was so genuine ! But such a per-
fect fit, though a mistake, maybe, as to material ; and
then, when he tried his own suit, what a misfit it was !
The climax : " David, if you are going to " — but this
is too much ! The tears are rolling down my
cheeks once more as I picture that wild scene.

We heard the chimes at midnight, and then to
bed. Windsor is nothing iniless royal. It is all
over royal, although Her Majesty was absent. But
the Prince of Wales was there, and a greater than he —
Mr. Gladstone — had run down Irom muggy London
to refresh his faded energies by communing with
nature. It is said thai his friends are alarmed at his
haggard appearance toward the close of each week ;

58 OUR COACHING TRIP.

«

but he spends Saturday and Sunday in the country,
and returns on Monday to surprise them at the
change. Ah ! he has found the kindest, truest nurse,
for he knows —

" that Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her ; 'tis her privilege,
Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy : for she can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress <»

With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, »

Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men.
Her greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life.
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings."

Mr. Gladstone's fresh appearance Monday morn-
ing's gratifies his friends, and I will believe pleases
even his opponents, for such a man can have no ill-
wishers, surely. When Confucius had determined to
behead the emperor's corrupt brother, his counsel-
lors endeavored to dissuade him, from a just fear
that the criminal's friends would rise and avenge
his death. " Friends !" said the sage, " such a char-
acter may have adherents, but friends never."

The result proved his wisdom. No revolt came,
though Confucius stood by to see justice done, re-
fusing to listen to the petition of the emperor for his
own brother's life. In like manner, Mr. Gladstone
may have opponents — enemies never. All English-
men must in their hearts honor the man who is a
credit to the race. By the way, he's Scotch, let me
note, and never fails to bear in mind and to mention
this special cause for thankfulness. I suspect that

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 59

this fact has not a httle to do with the intense en-
thusiasm of Scotland for him. We are a queer lot,
up in the North Countrie, and he is our ain bairn.
Blood is thicker than water everywhere, but in no
part of this world is it so very much thicker ^s beyond
the Tweed.

We attended church at Windsor and saw the
great man and the other come to the door together.
There the former stopped and the other walked up
the aisle, causing a flutter in the congregation. Mr.
Gladstone followed at a respectful distance, and
took his seat several pews behind. How absurd you
are, my young lady republican ! Can you not un-
derstand ? One is .only the leading man in the em-
pire— a man who, in a fifty years' tussle with the
foremost statesmen of the age, has won the crown
both for attainments and character ; but the other,
bless your ignorant little head ! — he is a prince.

Well, if he is, he has never done anything, you
say. You are mistaken here again, miss. He has
shot poor tame pigeons from a trap, many a time,
like a man ; has even killed a pig, for they told me
in India how they placed him upon a platform in a
tree, out of harm's way, and then drove the pig past,
and he actually hit it. My dear girl, I'll lay two to
one that Gladstone would have missed it ; and if
the prince were to challenge him to a pigeon-match,
he would turn awa}^ chicken-hearted. Truly, the
prince is the right man of the two, you see, for a
cultured, civilized people to prefer and make the
fountain of honor — King of England and Emperor
(of India) too — a bad word this and un-English. The
prince is the highest product of this people, else

6o OUR COACHING TRIP.

they would never elevate him above all others.
Go to ; you talk like a green girl.

In the afternoon we attended St. George's
Chapel. In one of the stalls v/e saw again that sadly
noble lion-face — no one ever mistakes Gladstone. He
sat wrapped in the deepest meditation. He is very
pale, haggard, and careworn — the weight of empire
upon him !

" I tell thee, scorner of these whitening hairs,
When this snow melteth there shall come a flood."

I could not help applying to him Milton's lines :

. . . " with grave
Aspect he rose, and in his rising seem'd
A pillar of state : deep on his front engraven
Deliberati6n sat and public care ;
And princely counsel in his face yet shone.
Majestic though in ruin."

He has work to do yet. If he only were fifty
instead of seventy odd ! Well, God bless him for
what he has done ; may he rule England long !

A memorable event occurred at Windsor, Sunday,
June 19th — my mother reached her seventy-first
year. At breakfast Mr. Beck rose, and addressing
himself to her, made one of the sweetest, prettiest
speeches I ever heard. He presented to her an ex-
quisite silver cup, ornamented with birds and flow-
ers, and inscribed : " Presented to Mrs. Margaret
Carnegie, at Windsor, by the members of the coach-
ing-party, upon her seventy-first birthday." Mr.
Beck's reference to mother's intense love of nature
in all her glorious forms, from the tiny go wan to the
extended landscape, was most appropriate.

Mother and I were completely surprised ; and

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. ■6'l

when Mr. Beck concluded, I was about to rise and
respond, but a slight motion from her majesty ap-
prized me that she preferred to reply in person.
Well, I thought I was the speech-maker for the
family. I wonder what that woman will do next !
But she acquitted herself grandly. Her speech was
a gem ; she is the orator of the family, after all (Mem.
— It was so short). After thanking her dear friends,
she said :

I can onl}^ wish that you may all have as good
health, as complete command of all your faculties,
and enjoy flowers and birds and all things of nature
as much as I do at seventy-one." Here the voice
trembled. There were not many dry eyes. The quiv-
er ran through the party, and without another word
mother sat slowly down, I was very, very proud
of that seventy-year old (I am often that), and deep-
ly moved, as she was, by this touching evidence of
the regard of the coaching party for her.

This incident led to some funny stories about
presentation speeches. Upon a recent occasion, not
far from Paisley, Aggie told us, a worthy deacon
had been selected to present a robe to the minister.
The church was crowded, and the recipient stood
expectantly at the foot of the pulpit, surrounded by
the members of his family. Amid breathless silence
the committee entered and marched up the aisle,
headed by the deacon bearing the gift in his extend-
ed arms. On reaching the pulpit a stand was made,
but never a word came from the deacon, down
whose brow the perspiration rolled in great drops.
He was in a daze, but a touch from one of the com-
mittee brought him back to something like a realiz-
5

62 OUR COACHING TRIP.

ing sense of his position, and he stammered out. as
he handed the robe to the minister :

" Mr. Broon,

Here's the goon."

You need not laugh. It is not likely that you
could make as good a speech, which, I'll wager, is
far better than the one over which he had spent
sleepless nights, but which provide^itially left him at
the critical moment.

Windsor, seen from any direction at a distance, is
par excellence the castle — a truly royal residence ;
but, seen closely, it loses the grand and sinks into
something of prettiness. It is no longer command-
ing, and is insignificant in comparison with the true
castles of the north. The glamour flies when you
begin to analyze. Royalty's famous abode should
be looked at as royalty itself should be — at a safe
distance.

Service at St. George's Chapel will not soon be
forgotten by our party. The stalls of the Knights
of the Garter, over the canopies of which hang their
swords and mantles surmounted by their crests and
armorial bearings, carry one far back into the days
of chivalry. One stall arrested and held my atten-
tion— that of the Earl of Beaconsfield. When I was
not gazing at Gladstone's face, I was moralizing
upon the last Knight of the Garter, whose flag still
floats above the stall. Disraeli won the blue ribbon
about as worthily as most men, and by much the same
means — he flattered the monarch. But there is this
to be said of him : he had brains and made himself.

What a commentary upon pride of birth, the flag
of the poor literar}' adventurer floating beside that

B RICH TO. V TO INVERNESS. (>Z

of my lord duke's ! It pleased me much to see it.
How that man must have chuckled as he bowed his
way among- his dupes, from Her Majesty to Salis-
bury, and passed the radical extension of the suffrage
that doomed hereditary privilege to speedy extinc-
tion. But where will imperialism get such another
leader, after all ? It has not found him yet.

" What is that up there ?" asked one of our party.
" The royal box, miss." Were we really at the
opera, then ? A royal box in church for the worship
of God ! Did you ever hear anything like that !
There is a roval staircase, too. Why not ? You
would not have royalty on an equality with us,
would vou, even if we are all alike miserable sinners
and engaged in the worship of that God who is no
respecter of persons.

" Well, I think this is awful," said one of the
party. " I don't believe the good Queen would go
to church in this way, if she only thought of it. Our
President and family have their pew just like the
rest of us." Our English members were equally
surprised that the American should see an3'thing
shocking in the practice, and the ladies fought out
the matter between themselves, the Americans insist-
ing that the Ouecn should attend worship as other
poor sinners do, since all are ccpial in (lod's eyes ;
and the English saying little, but evidcntl_y harboring
the idea that even in heaven si)ccial accommodations
would probably be found reserved for royalty, with
maybe a special staircase to ascend by. Early edu-
cation and inherited tendencies account fvor much.

The staircase question led to the stor}- that the
Marquis of Lornc was not allowed to enter some

64 OUR COACHING TRIP.

performance by the same stair with his wife. The
American was up at this. " If I had a husband, and
he couldn't come with me, I wouldn't go." This
made an end of the discussion, for the Enghsh young
lady's eyes told plainly of her secret vow that wher-
ever she went must go too. All were agreed

on this point ; but on the general question it was a
drawn battle, the one side declaring that if- they
were men they would not have a princess for a wife
under any circumstances, and the other insisting
that, if they were princesses, they would not have
anybody but a prince for a husband.

Monday was another thoroughly English day.
The silver Thames glistened in the sun. The castle
towered in all its majesty, vivified by the meteor
iiag which fluttered in the breeze. The grounds of
Eton were crowded with nice-looking English boys
as we passed. Many of us walked down the steep
hill and far into the country in advance of the coach,
and felt once more that a fine day in the south of
England was perfection indeed. The sun here re-
minds one of the cup that cheers, but does not ine-
briate : its rays cheer, but never scorch. You could
not tell whether, if there were to be any change, you ^
would prefer it to be a shade cooler or a shade
warmer.

Stoke Pogis is a few miles out of our direct road,
but who would miss that, even were the detour
double what the ordnance survey makes it. Besides,
had not Miss Whitfield, a stay-at-home, told us that
one of the happiest days of her life was that spent in
making a pilgrimage to the shrine of the poet.
Gray's was the first shrine at which we stopped to

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 65

worship, and the beauty, the stiUness, the peace of
that low, quaint, ivy-covered church, and its old-
fashioned graveyard, sank into our hearts. Surely
no one could revive memories more sweetly English
than he who gave us the Elegy. wSome lines, and even
verses of that gem, will endure, it may safely be pi-e-
dicted, as long as anything English does, and that is
saying much. We found just such a churchyard as
seemed suited to the ode. Gray is fortunate in his
resting-place. Earth has no prettier, calmer spot to
give her child than this. It is the very ideal God's
acre. The little church too is perfect. How fine is
Gray's inscription upon his mother's tomb ! I avoid
cemeteries whenever possible, but this seemed more
like a place where one revisits those he has once
known than that where, alas ! he must mourn those
lost forever. -Gray's voice — the voice of one that is
still, even the touch of the vanished iumd, these
seemed to be found there, for after our visit the poet
was closer to me than he had ever been before. It
is not thus with such as we have known and loved in
the flesh — their graves let us silentl}' avoid. He
whom you seek is not here ; but the great dead whom
we have known only through their souls do come
closer to us as we stand over their graves. The
flesh we have known has become spiritualized ; the
spirits we have known become in a measure materi-
alized, and I felt I had a firmer hold upon Gray from
having stood over his dust.

Here is the inscription he put upon his mother's
grave :

" Dorothy Gray.

The careful, tender mother of many children, one of whom alone had
the misfortune to survive her."

66 OUR COACHING TRIP.

The touch in the last words, " the misfortune to
survive her !" — Carlyle's words upon his wife's tomb
recur to me :

" And he feels that the light of his life has gone out."

These were men waihng for women. I cannot
beheve but that there are many women who would
prefer to share the fate of men who die. There is
such love on earth. Sujatas are not confined to
India. As she says :

" But if Death called Senani, I should mount
The pile and lay that dear head in my lap.
My daily way, rejoicing when the torch
Lit the quick flame and rolled the choking smoke.
For it is written, if an Indian wife
Die so, her love shall give her husband's soul
For every hair upon her heid, a crore
Of years in Swerza. "

I think I know women who would esteem it a
mercy to be allowed to pass away with ///;//, if the
Eternal had not set his " canon 'gainst self-slaugh-
ter." This prohibition the Indian wots not of.

Upon Gray's own tomb there is inscribed :

" One morn I missed him on the accustomed hill,
Along the heath, and near his favorite tree ;
Another came, nor yet beside the rill,

Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he."

One perfect gem outweighs a thousand mediocre
performances and makes its creator immortal. The
world has not a second Gray's Elegy among all its
treasures. Nor is it likel}^ to have. We found you
still in your accustomed place.

Our luncheon was to be upon the banks of the

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 67.

Thames to-da}^ the old Swan Inn, where the stone
bridge crosses the stream, being our base of sup-
plies ; but ere this was reached what a lovely picture
was ours between Stoke Pogis and the Swan ! All
that has been sung or written about the valley of
the Thames is foui\d to be more than deserved. The
silver stream flows gently through the valley, the
fertile land rises gradually on both sides, enabling
us to get extensive views from the top of the coach.
Our road lies over tolerably high ground some dis-
tance from the river. Such perfect quiet, homelike,
luxuriant beauty is to be seen nowhere but in Eng-
land. It is not possible for the elements to be com^
bined to produce a more pleasing picture ; and now,
after seeing all else between Brighton and Inverness
that lay upon our line, we return to the region of
Streatley and Maple Durham, and award them the
palm as the finest thoroughly English landscape.

We say to the valley of the Thames what the
Eastern poet said to the Vale of Cashmere, which is
not half so pretty :

" If there be a paradise upon earth,
It is here, it is here."

The old Swan proved to be, both in structure and
location, a fit component part of the sylvan scene
around. There ran the Thames in limpid purity, a
picturesque stone bridge overhanging it, and the
roadside inn within a few 3\ards of the grassy bank.

The rugs were laid under a chestnut tree, and our
first [)icnic luncheon spread on the buttercups and
daisies. Swallows skimmed the water, bees hummed
above us — but stop ! listen ! what's that, and where ?

68 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Our first skylark singing at heaven's gate ! Davie
and Ben and Jeannie and Alice, and all v^ho heard
this never-to-be-forgotten song for the first time w^ere
up and on their feet in an instant ; but the tiny
songster which was then filling the azure vault with
music was nowhere to be seen. It's worth an Atlan-
tic voyage to hear a skylark for the first time. Even
luncheon was neglected for a time, hungry as we
were, that we might if possible catch a glimpse of
the warbler. The flood of song poured forth as we
stood rapt awaiting the descent of the messenger
from heaven. At last a small black speck came into
sight. He is so little to see-^so great to hear !

I know three fine things about the famous song-
ster :

"In the golden lightning
Of the sunken sun.
O'er which clouds are bright'ning,
Thou dost float and run,
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun."

An " unbodied joy"! that's a hit, surely !

Here is Browning on the thrush, which I think
should be to the lark :

" He sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture."

The third is just thrown in by the prodigal hand
of genius in a poem not to a lark but to a daisy :

" Alas ! it's no thy neebor sweet,
The bonnie lark, companion meet,
Bending thee 'mang the dewy weet,

Wi' speckl'd breast,
When upward springing, blithe, to greet
The purpling east. "

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 69

And now I remember Shakespeare has his say too
about the lark — what is it in England he has not his
say about ? or in all the world for that matter ; and
how much and how many things has he rendered it
the highest wisdom for man to keep silent about after
he has said his say, holding their peace forever.

A row upon the silver Thames after luncheon,
and we are off again for Reading, where we are to
rest over night at the Queen's. Reading has a
pretty, new park and interesting ruins within its
boundaries which we visited before dinner. A
pretty lawn in the rear of our hotel gave us an op-
portunity for a game at lawn tennis in the twilight
after dinner, and in the morning we were off for Ox-
ford.

The editorial in the Reading paper that morning
upon emigration struck me as going to the root of
the matter. .Here is the concluding paragraph :

" Already the expanding and prospering indus-
tries of the New World are throwing an ominous
shadow across the Old World and are affecting
some ot its habits and practices. But over and
above and beyond all these, the free thought, the
liberty of action, the calm independence and the
sense of the dignity of man as man, and the perfect
equality of all before the law and in the eye of the
constitution now existing in America, are developing
a race of men who, through correspondence with
home relations, the intercourse of free travel, the
transaction of business, and the free, outspoken lan-
guage of the press, are gradually disintegrating the
yet strong conservative forces of European society,
and thus preparing the downfall of tlie monarchical,

7° OUR COACHING TRIP.

aristocratic, military, and ecclesiastic systems which
shackle and strangle the people of the Old World.
These thoughts seem to me to convey the meaning
of the great exodus now going on, and he is a wise
statesman who reads the lesson ario-ht. "

There's a man after my own heart. He grasps
the subject.

The editor tells one of the several causes of
the exodus which is embracing many of the most
valuable citizens of the old lands where class dis-
tinctions still linger. Man longs not only to be free
but to be equal, if he has much manhood in him ;
and that America is the home for such men, num-
bers of the best are fast finding out. But Eng^land
will soon march forward ; she is not going to rest
behind very long. There will soon be no political
advantages here over England for the masses.

Some of us walked ahead of the coach for several
miles, and I had a chat with a man whom v/e met. He
was a rough carpenter and his wages were sixteen shil-
lings per week ($4). A laborer gets eleven shillings
(not $2.75), but some "good masters" pay thirteen
to fourteen shillings ($3.25 to $3.50), and give their
men-four or five pounds of beef at Christmas. Food
is bacon and tea, which are cheap — but no beef.
Men's wages have not advanced much for many
years (I should think not !), but women's have. An
ordinary woman for field work can get one shilling
per day (24 cents) ; a short time ago ninepence (18
cents) was the highest amount paid. Is it not cheering
to find poor women getting an advance? But think
what their condition still is, when one shilling per
day. is considered good pay ! I asked whether em-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 71

ployers did not board the workers in addition to
paying- these wages, but he assured me they did
not. This is Southern England and these are agri-
cultural laborers, but the wages seem distressingly
low even as compared with British wages in general.
The new system of education and the coming exten-
sion of the suffrage to the counties will soon work a
change among these poor people. They will not
rest content crowding each other down thus to a
pittance when they can read and write and vote.
Thank fortune for this.

Our ladies were unusually gay in their decorations
to-day, with bunches of wild flowers on their breasts
and hats crowned with poppies and roses. They
decked mother out until she looked as if she were
ready to play Ophelia. Their smiles too were as
pretty as their flowers. What an embodied joy
bright, happy ladies are under all conditions, and
how absolutely essential for a coaching parfy ! Was
it not Johnson's idea of happiness to drive in a gig
with a pretty woman ? He wasn't much of a muff !
If anything could have kept him in good humon this
would have done it. If he could have been on top
of a coach with a bevy of them, not even he could
have said a rude thing.

Oxford was reached before the sun went down.
Its towers were seen for miles— Magdalen, Baliol,
Christ Church, and other familiar names. We cross
the pretty little Isis, marvelling at every step, and
drive up the High Street to the Clarendon.

To-morrow is to be commencement day, and only
a few rooms are to be had in the hotel, but wc were
distributed very comfortably among houses in the

72 OUR COACHING TRIP.

neighborhood. Several hours before dinner were
delightfully spent in a grand round of the colleges.
We peeped into the great quads, walked the clois-
ters, and got into all kinds of queer old-fashioned
places. But the stroll along the Isis, and past Mag-
dalen Tower, and up the long walk — that was the
grand finish ! We pardon Wolsey his greed of
getting, he was so princely in giving. To the man
who did so much for Oxford much may be forgiven.

Oxford, June 21.

This morning was devoted to visiting the prin-
cipal colleges more in detail, and also to the ascent
of the tower of the Sheldonian Theatre, which no
one should ever miss doing. Below us lay the city
of palaces, for such it seems, palaces of the right
kind too — ^not for idle kings or princes to riot in,
and corrupt society by their bad example, but for
those who " scorn delights and live laborious days."

Our Cambridge member, Mr. Beck, tells us it does
not cost more than i^200 ($1000) per annum for a stu-
dent here. This seems very cheap. The tariff which
we saw in one of the halls gave us a laugh :

" Commons.
Mutton, long, \\d.
do. short, <^d.
do. half, 7^."

The long and the half we could understand, but
how do they manage the short ? This must be a
kind of medium portion for fellows whose appetites
are only so-so. You see how fine things are cut
even in Oxford. Our party thought if the students

BRIGH'TON TO INVERNESS. 73

were coaching there would be little occasion for
them to know anything of either short or half. At
least we were all in for long commons at eleven
pence.

We drove past the martyrs' memorial, Latimer
and Ridley's. Cranmer does not deserve to be named
with them. A visit to such a monument always
does me good, for it enables me to say to those who
doubt the real advancement of mankind : Now look
at this, and think for what these grand men were
burnt ! Is it conceivable that good, sterling men
shall ever again be called upon in England to die for
opinion's sake ! That Cranmer wrote and advo-
cated the right and necessity of putting to death those
who differed from him, and therefore that he met
the fate he considered it right to mete to others,
shows what all parties held in those dark days. I
claim tliat the world has made a distinct and perma-
nent advance in this department wdiich in no revolv-
ing circle of human affairs is ever to be lost. The
persecution of the Rev. Mr. Green, of Professor
Robertson Smith, and of Bishop Colenso in the pres-
ent day proves, no doubt, that there is much yet to
be done ere we can be very proud of our progress ;
but these are the worst of to-day's persecutions and
could ocgur only in England and Scotland. There
is a long gaj) between them and burning at the
stake ! Grand old Latimer was prophetic when he
called out to his colleague : " Be of good comfort
and ])la)' the man ; we shall tliis day light such a
candle by God's grace as I trust shall never be put
out!"

I think it certain that the candle will never again

74 OUR COACHING TRIP.

be put out. The bigots of to-day can only annoy in
Britain. In other English-speaking communities
even that power has passed away, and persecution
for opinion's sake is unknown.

We left Oxford with just a sprinkle of rain fall-
ing, but we had scarcely got fairly out of the city
when it ceased and left the charming landscape love-
lier than ever. Banbury Cross was our destination,
and on our route lay magnificent Blenheim, the
estate given by the nation to the Duke of Marlbor-
ough. See what the nations do for the most suc-
cessful murderers of their fellows ! and how insignif-
icant have ever been the rewards of those who pre-
serve, improve, or discover — for a Marlborough or a
Wellington a fortune, for a Howard or a Wilberforce
a pittance. It is only in heathen China that the
statesman, the man of letters, heads the list. No
military officer, however successful as a destroyer,
can ever reach the highest rank there, for with them
the victories of peace are more renowned than those
of war ; that is reserved for the men who know — the
Gladstones and the Disraelis, the Darwins and the
Huxley s, the Arnolds and the Ruskins. It is only in
civilized countries that the first honors are given to
butchers.

Blenheim is superb, grand, and broad enough to
satisfy princely tastes. And that noble library ! As
we walked through it we felt subdued as if in the
presence of the gods of ages past, for a worthy col-
lection of great books ever breathes forth the influ-
ence of kings dead yet present, of

" Those dead but sceptred sovereigns
Whose spirits still rule us from their urns."

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 75

And to think that this library, in whose treasures
we revelled, reverently taking one old tome after
another in our hands, has since then been sold by
auction I Degenerate wretch ! but one descended
from Marlborough can scarcely be called degen-
erate. You may not even be responsible for what
seems like family dishonor ; some previous heir may
have rendered the sale necessary ; but the dispersion
of such treasures as these must surely open the eyes
of good men in England to the folly of maintaining
heredita*ry rank and privilege. Perhaps, however,
the noble owner had no more use for his bopks than
the lord whose library Burns was privileged to see,
which showed no evidences of usage. The bard
wrote in a volume of Shakespeare he took up :

" Through and through the inspired leaves,
Ye maggots, make your windings ;
But oh ! respect his lordship's taste
And spare his golden bindings."

With many notable exceptions, the aristocracy of
Britain took its rise from bad men who did the dirty
work of miserable kings, and from women who were
even worse than their lords. It seems hastening
to an end in a manner strictly in accordance with
its birth. Even Englishmen will soon become satis-
tied that no man should be born to honors, but that
these should be reserved for those who merit them.
But what kind of fruit could be expected from the
tree of privilege ? Its roots lie in injustice, and not
the least of its evils are those Inflicted u})on such
as arc born under its shadow. The young peer who
succeeds in making somebody of himself does so

76 OUR COACHING TRIP.

in spite of a vicious system, and is entitled to infi-
nite praise ; but though our race is slow to learn,
the people hear a wee bird singing these stirring
days, and they begin to like the song. The days of
rank are numbered.

Banbury, June 22.

Banbury Cross came into sight about five o'clock,
and few of us were so far away in years or feeling
from the days of childhood as not to remem.ber the
nursery rhyme which was repeated as we drbve past
the Cross ; but it is an elaborate Gothic cross, look-
ing as new and modern as if Gilbert Scott had put
the finishing touches to it but yesterday, and the
charm was gone. I like new political institutions for
my native land, but prefer the old historical struct-
ures. The besorn of destruction should have spared
Banbury Cross. I hope the old Cross has been put
away in some museum or other safe place out of the
weather. We must see about this on our next
visit.

Banbury has the celebrated works of my friend,
Mr. Samuelson, M.P. ; and before dinner I walked
out to see them, and if possible to learn something of
Mr. Samuelson's whereabouts. Upon returning to
the hotel I found that he was at that moment occu-
pying the sitting-room adjoining ours. We had an
evening's talk and compared notes as brother manu-
facturers. If England and America are drawing
more closely together politically, it is also true that
the manufacturers of the two countries have nearly
the same problems to settle. Mr. Samuelson was
deep in railway discriminations and laboring with

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 77

a parliamentary commission to effect changes, or
rather, as he would put it, to obtain justice. I gave
him an account of our plans, our failures, and our
successes, of which he took note. This much I am
bound, to say for my former colleagues upon this side
(for before I reformed I was a railway manager),
that the manufacturers of Britain have wronsfs of
which we know nothing here, though ours are bad
enough. I add the last sentence lest Messrs. Vander
bilt, Roberts, Cassatt, and the Garretts (father and
son), might receive a wrong impression from the pre-
vious admission ; for these are the gentlemen upon
whom our fortunes hang.

Banbury is a ver}^ pretty, clean, well-to-do town,
and evidently prosperous, but our ladies have the
removal of the old Cross down in their note-books as
a serious charge against its reverence ; for what
makes Banbury a household word in everv nur-
sery ?

There is much discussion this morning as to the
best route to take, there is so much to tempt us
on either of several ways. Shall we go by Comp-
ton Verney (there is a pretty English name for
you), Wellesbourn, and Hastings? or shall we
take our way through Brougliton Castle, Tadmar-
ton, Scoalcliffe, Compton Wynyate, and Oxhill? In
one way Wroxton Abbey, one of the real genuine
baronial abbeys, if one may say so, and Kdgchill.
Surely no good Republican would miss that ! But on
the other route we shall sec the stronghold of Lord
Saye and Sele, older yet than Wroxton, and Comp-
ton Wynyate, older and finer than all — "a noble
wreck in ruinous perfection," and a third route still
6

78 OUR COACHING TRIP.

finer than either as far as scenery is concerned.
Such is this treasure house, this crowded grand old
England, whose every mile boasts such attractions to
win our love.

" Look where we ma}', we cannot err
In this delicious region — change of place
Producing change of beauty — ever new."

We chose the first route, and whatever the
others might have proved we are satisfied, for it is
iHianimously decided that in Wroxton Abbe}' we have
seen our most interesting structure. It is early
English indeed ! Blenheim and Windsor are larger,
but not for a dozen of either would we exchange this
grand old abbey. We revelled in its quaint irreg-
ular chambers. James the First slept in that bed,
George the Fourth in that ; this quilt is the work
of Mary Queen of Scots — there is her name ; Queen
Elizabeth occupied this chamber upon her royal
progress, and King William this. Then the genuine
old pictures, although in this department Blenheim
stands vmrivalled. Marlborough knew the adage
that "to the victor belongs the spoils," and acted
upon it too, for he had rare opportunities abroad
to gather treasures. But for a realization of your
most picturesque ideal of a great old English house,
betake yourselves to Wroxton Abbey. Its little
chapel, rich in very old oak carving, is in itself worth
a journey to see.

We I'.niched off deal tables and drank home-
brewed ale in the tap-room of the Holcroft Inn, a
queer old place, but we had a jolly time amid every
kind of thing that carried us back to the England of

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 79

past centuries. Beyond Holcroft we came suddenly
upon the grandest and most extensive view by far
that had yet rejoiced us. We were rolling along
absorbed in deep admiration of the fertile land which
spread out before us on both sides of the road, and
extolling the never-ceasing peacefulness and quiet
charm of England, when, on passing through a cut,
a wide and varied panorama lay stretched at our feet.
A dozen picturesque villages and hamlets were in
sight, and by the aid of our field-glass a dozen more
were brought within range. The spires of the
churches, the poplars, the hedgerows, the woods, the
gently undulating land apparently giving forth its
luxuriant harvest with such ease and pleasure, all
these made up such a picture as we could not leave.
We ordered the coach to go on and wait at the foot
of the hill until we had feasted ourselves with the
view. We lay upon the face of the hill and gazed
on Arcadia smiling below. Very soon some of the
neighboring residents came, for one is never long
without human company in crowded .England ; and
we found that we were indeed upon sacred ground.
This was Edgehill. Shade of Cromwell I was it here
you Showed what man can do for a great cause when
moved to take uj) arms, not for hire nor for fame,
but for duty, stern goddess ! True volunteers versus
regulars.

As sturdy I^epublicans, we lingered long upon
this spot. Will you lay "violent hands upon the
Lord's anointed?" " I'll anoint ye !" sa3'S he, and
then, 1 take it, was settled for the future the " divine
right of kings" theor\- ; for since then these curious
appendages of a free state have been kept for show,

8o OUR COACHING TRIP.

and we hear nothing- any more of the " divuiity which
doth hedge a king." Some one of the party re-
marked that we had not seen a statue or even a pict-
ure of England's great Protector. I told them a wise
man once said that the reason Cromwell's statue was
not put among those of the other rulers of England
at Westminster was because he would dwarf them.
But his day is coming. We shall have him there in
his proper place by and by, and how small heredi-
tary rulers will seem beside him !

Booth may not be great in anything, as some
think, but I do not know his equal in "Richelieu ;"
and in one scene in particular he has always seemed
to me at his very best. The king sits with his new
minister Baradas in attendance at his side. Riche-
lieu reclines upon a sofa exhausted while his secre-
taries " deliver up the papers of a realm." A secre-
tary is on his knee presenting papers. He says :

"The affairs of England, Sire, most urgent. Charles
The First has lost a battle that decides
One half his realm — craves moneys. Sire, and succor.

King. He shall have both. Eh, Baradas ?

Baradas. , Yes, Sire.

Richelieu. {Feebly y hut with great distinctness.) My liege —
Forgive me — Charles's cause is lost. A man,
Named Cromwell, risen — a great man — "

That is enough, a great man settles things ;
a small one nibbles away at petty reforms, although
he knows nothing is settled thereby, and that the
question is onl}' pushed ahead for the time to break
out again directly. English politicians are mostly
nibblers, though Gladstone can take a good bite
when put to it. »

Our route lay through Warwick and Leaming-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 8 1

ton. Tho view of the castle from the bridge is, I
believe, the best of its kind in England. " From
turret to foundation stone" it is all perfect. The
. very entrance tells of the good old days. As we
pass beneath the archway, over the drawbridge, and
under the portcullis, it all comes back to us.

" Up drawbridge, grooms ! What, Warder, ho !
Let the portcullis fall I
To pass there was such scanty room
The bars descending razed his plume."

Warwick, the kingmaker ! This was his castle.
His quarrel with the king was one of our most tak-
ing recitations. I was considered great in this.

" Know this, the man who injured Warwick
Never passed uninjured yet."

He found that out, did he not, my lord of the
ragged staff !

The view from the great hall looking on the
river below is fixed in my mind. Don't miss it ;
and surely he who will climb to the top of Guy's
Tower will have cause for thankfulness for many a
year thereafter. You get a look at more of England
there than is generally possible. 1 sympathize with
Ruskin in his rage at the attempt to raise funds by
subscription to mend the ravages of a recent fire in
the castle, A Warwick in the role of a Belisarius
begging for an obolus ! If the kingmaker could look
upon this ! But historical names are now often
trailed in the dust in England.

Driving through Leamington we reached Kenil-
worth Castle for luncheon, to which we had looked
forward for several days. Alas ! the keeper in-

82 OUR COACHING TRIP.

formed us that no pic-nic parties are admitted since
the grounds have been put into such excellent order
by the kind Earl Clarendon (for which thanks, good
earl). But he was a man of some discrimination,
this custodian of the ruins, and when he saw our
four-in-hand and learned who we were^Americans !
Brighton to Inverness ! — he made us an excep-
tion to the rule, of which I trust his lordship will
approve, if he ever hears. We had one of our
happiest luncheons beneath the walls under a large
hawthorn tree, which we decided was the very
place where the enraged Queen Bess discovered
dear Amy Robsart on that memorable night.

A thousand memories cluster round this ruin ; but
what should we have known of it had not the great
mao:ician touched with his wand this dead mass of
stone and lime and conferred immortality upon the
actors and their revels. To do things is not one half
the battle in this world. Carlyle is all wrong about
this. To be able to tell the world what you have
done, that is the greater accomplishment I Cgesar is
the greatest man of the sword because he was in his
day the greatest man of the pen. Had he known
how to fight onl,y, tradition would have handed
down his name for a few generations with a tolerably
correct account of his achievements ; but now every
school-boy fights over again his battles and sur-
mounts the difficulties he surmounted, and so his
fame goes on increasing forever.

What a man says too often outlives what he
does, even when he does great things. General
Grant's fame is not to rest upon the fact that he was
successful in killing his fellow-citizens in a civil war.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. ' 83

all traces of which America wishes to obliterate, but
upon the words he said now and then. His " Push
things !" will influence Americans Avhen Vicksburg
shall be forgotten. " I propose to fight it out on
this, line" will be part of the language when few
will remember when it was spoken ; and " Let us
have peace" is Grant's most lasting monument.
Truly, both the pen and the tongue are mightier
than the sword !

This day was very warm, even for Americans,
and after luncheon we became a lazy, sleepy party.
I have a distinct recollection of an upward and then
a downward movement Avhich awoke me suddenly.
One after another of the party, caught asleep on a
rug, was treated to a tossing amid screams of laugh-
ter. We were all very drowsy, but a fresh breeze
arose as* the sun'declined, and remounting the coach
late in the afternoon we had a charming drive to
Stratford-on-Avon.

Stratford-on-Avon, June 23.
Our resting-place was the Red Horse Inn, of
which Washington Irving has written so delightful-
ly. One can hardly say that he comes into Shake-
speare's country, for one is always there, so deeply
and widely has his influence reached. We live in
his land always ; but, as we approached the quiet
little village where he appeared on earth, we could
not help speculating upon the causes which pro-
duced the prodigy. Ont almost expects nature her-
self to present a different aspect to enable us to ac-
count in some measure for the apparition of a being
so far beyond all others ; but it is not so — we see

84 OUR COACHING TRIP.

only the quiet beauty which characterizes almost
every part of England. His sweet sonnets seem the
natural outbirth of the land. Where met he the ge-
nius of tragedy, think you ! Surely not on the culti-
vated banks of the gentle Avon, where all is so
tame. But as Shakespeare resembled other burgh-
ers of Stratford so much, not showing upon the sur-
face that he was that

" largest son of time
Who wandering sang to a listening world,"

our search for external conditions as to his environ-
ment need not be continued. Ordinary laws are in-
applicable—he was a law unto himself. How or why
Shakespeare was Shakespeare will be settled when
there shall be few problems of the race left to settle.
It is well that he lies on the banks of the Avon,
for that requires us to make a special visit to his
shrine to worship him. His mighty shade alone fills
the mind. True monotheists are we all who make
the pilgrimage to Stratford. I have been there
often, but I am always awed into silence as I ap-
proach the church ; and when I stand beside the
ashes of Shakespeare I cannot repress stern, gloomy
thoughts, and ask why so potent a force is now but a
little dust. The inexplicable waste of nature, a mill-
ion born that one may live, seems nothing compared
to this — the brain of a god doing its work one day
and food for worms the next ! No wonder, George
Eliot, that this was ever the weight that lay upon
your heart and troubled you so !

A cheery voice behind me. ' ' What is the matter ?
Are you ill ? You look as if you hadn't a friend in

BRIGHTON TO IXVERNESS. 85

the world !" Thanks, gentle remembrancer. This is
no time for the chief to forget himself. We are not
out for lessons or for moralizing. Things are and
shall be " altogether lovel}'." One must often laugh
if one would not cry.

Here is a funny conceit. \ worthy draper in the
town has recently put an upright stone at the head
of his wife's grave, with an inscription setting forth
the dates of her birth and death, and beneath it the
following verse :

"For the Lord has done great things for us,
whereof we are exceeding glad."

The wretch ! One of the wives of our party de-
clared that she could not like a man who could think
at such a crisis of such a verse, no matter how he
meant it. She was confident that he was one of
those terribly-resigned kind of men who will find that
the Lord has done great things for him in the shape
of a second helpmeet within two years.

This led to a search for other inscriptions. Here
is one which struck our fancy :

" Under these ashes lies one close confined,
Who was to all both affable and kind ;
A neighbor good, extensive to ye poor.
Her soul we hope's at rest forevermore."

This was discussed and considered to go rather
too far. Good Swedcnborgians still dispute about
the body's rising again, and make a great point of
that, as showing their superior wisdom ; but this
good friend seems to bespeak rest forever for the
soul. One of us spoke of having hitcly seen a very
remarkable collection of passages from Scripture

86 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Avhich seemed to permit the hope that all for whom
a kind father has nothing- better in store than per-
petual torture will kindly be permitted to rest. One
of the passages in question was : " For the wicked
shall perish everlastingly." The question was re-
mitted to the theologians of our party, with instruc-
tions to give it prayerful consideration and report.

If there be scriptural warrant for the belief, I
wish to embrace it at once. Meanwhile I am not
going to be sure that any poor miserable sinner is
to be disturbed when after " life's fitful fever he
sleeps well" on the tender, forgiving bosom of mother
earth, unless he can be finally fitted for as good or
•a better life than this. Therefore, good Emma and
Ella and the rest Avho are staunch dogmatists, be
very careful how you report, for it is a fearful thing
to charge our Creator unjustly with decreeing ever-
lastinsf torture even to the worst offender into whom
he has breathed the breath of life. Refrain, if pos-
sible,

" Under this conjuration speak ;

For we will hear, note, and believe in heart
That what you speak is in your conscience washed
As pure as sin with baptism."

I have not yet been favored with the report asked
for, and therefore the question rests.

We had one of the loveliest mornings imaginable
for leaving Stratford. Many had assembled to see
the start, and our horn sounded several parting
blasts as we crossed the bridge and rode out of the
town. Our destination was Coventry, twenty-two
miles away, and the route lay through Charlecote
Park and Hampton Lucy. This was one of the most

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 87

perfect of all our days. The deer in hundreds gazed
on us as we passed. There were some noble stags
in the herd, the finest we had seen in England, and
Charlecote House was the best specimen of an Eliza-
bethan mansion. It was for poaching in this very
park that Shakespeare was fined by Squire Lucy
(Justice Shallow). He probably wanted a taste of
venison which was denied him. The descendant of
that squire, my gentle Shakespeare, v/ould give you
the entire herd for another speech to "the poor
sequestered stag," which you could dash off — no,
you never dashed off anything; create ? no ;
evolved ? that's nearer it ; distilled — there we have
it — distilled as the pearls of dew are distilled by
nature's sweet influences unknown to man. He
would exchange Charlecote estate, man, for another
Hamlet or Macbeth, or Lear or Othello, and the
world would buy it from him for double the cost of
all his broad acres, and esteem itself indebted to him
forever. The really precious things of this world
are its books.

The drive from Warwick to Leaminjjton is fa-
mous, but not comparable to that between Leaming-
ton and Coventry, Nowhere else can be found such
an avenue of stately trees ; for many miles a strip
about two hundred feet wide on both sides of the
road is wooded. In passing through this plantation
man}' a time did we bless the good, kind, thouglitful
soul who generations ago laid i)osterity under so
great an obligation. Dead and gone, his name
known to the local antiquary and appreciated by a
lew of the district, but never heard of beyond it.
" So shines a good deed in a naughty world." Re-

88 OUR COACHING TRIP.

ceive the warm thanks and God bless you of pil-
grims from a land, now containing the majority of
the English-speaking races, which was not even born
when you planted these stately trees. Americans
come to bless your memory ; for what sa3^s Sujata :

" For holy books teach when a man shall plant
Trees for the travellers' shade, and dig a well
For the folks' comfort, and beget a son,
It shall be good for such after their death."

Who shall doubt that it is well with the dear, kind
soul who planted the thousand trees which de-
lighted us this day, nodding their graceful boughs
in genial welcome to the strangers and forming a
triumphal arch in their honor !

Coventry, June 24.
Coventry in these days has a greater than Go-
diva. George Eliot stands alone among women ;
no second near that throne. We visited the little
school-room where she learnt her first lessons ; but
more than that, the Mayor, who kindly conducted
us through the city, introduced us to a man who
had been her teacher. " I knew the strange little
thing well," he said. A proud privilege indeed ! I
would have given much to know George Eliot, for
many rfeasons. I heard with something akin to fel-
lowship that she longed to be at every symphon}^
oratorio, or concert of classical music, and rarely
was that strong, brooding face missed at such feasts.
Indeed it was through attending one of these that
she caught the cold which terminated fatally. Music
was a passion with her, as she found in it calm and
peace for the troubled soul tossed and tried by the

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 89

«

sad, sad things of life. T understand this. A friend
told me that a lady friend of hers, who was staying
at the hotel in Florence where George Eliot was,
made her acquaintance casually without knowing her
name. Something, she knew not what, attracted her
to her, and after a few days she began sending flow-
ers to the strange woman. Completely fascinated,
she went almost daily for hours to sit with her.
This continued for many days, the lady using the
utmost freedom, and not without feehng that the at-
tention was' pleasing to the queer, plain, and unpre-
tending Englishwoman. One day she discovered by
chance who her companion really was. Never be-
fore, as she said, had she felt such mortification. She
went timidly to George Eliot's room and took her
hand in hers, but shrank back unable to speak, while
the tears rolled down her cheeks. " What is
wrong?" was asked, and then the explanation came.
"I didn't know who you were, I never suspected
it tuas j'ou /" Then came George Eliot's turn to be
embarrassed. " You did not know I was George
Eliot, but you were drawn to plain me all for my
own self, a woman ? I am so happy." She kissed
the American lady tenderly, and the true friendship
thus formed knew no end, but ripened to the close.

The finest thing not in her works that I know
this genius to have said is this : Standing one day
leaning upon the mantel she remarked : " I can im-
agine the coming of a day when the effort to relieve
human beings in distress will be as involuntary upon
the part of the beholder as to clasp this mantel would
be this moment on my part were I about to fall."
There's an ideal for yon I Chi-ist might have said that.

90 OUR COACHING TRIP.

One thing more about our heroine, and a grand
thing, said by Colonel IngersoU. " In the court of
her own conscience she sat pure as light, stainless as
a star." I believe that, my dear Colonel. Why
can you not give the world such gems as you are
capable of, and let us alone about future things, con-
cerning which you know no more than the new-born
babe ?

There is a good guide-book for Coventry, and
there's much to tell about that city. It was once the
ecclesiastical centre of England. Parliaments have sat
there and great things have been done in Coventry.
Many curious and valuable papers are seen in the
hall. There is the order of Queen Elizabeth to her
truly and well-beloved Mayor of Coventry, direct-
ing him to assist Earls Huntingdon and Shrewsbury
in good charge of Mary Queen of Scots. There is
a mace given by Cromwell to the corporation. You
see that ruler of men could bestow maces as well as
order his troopers to " take away that bauble" Avhen
the conmionwealth required nursing. These and
many more rare treasures are kept in an old build-
ing which is not fire-proof — a clear tempting of Prov-
idence. If I ever become so great a man as a
councillor of Coventry, my maiden speech shall be
upon the enormity of this offence. A councillor
who carried a vote for a fire-proof building should
some day reach the mayorship. This is a hint to
our friends there.

The land question still troubles England, but
even in Elizabeth's time it was thought not unconsti-
tutional to fix rents arbitrarily. Here lies an edict
of Her Majesty good Queen Bess, fixing the rates

BRIGHTON TO INVERiVESS. 91

for pasturage on the commons near Coventry : " For
one cow per week, one penny ; for one horse, two-
pence." Our agriculturists should take this for a
basis, a Queen Elizabeth valuation ! I suppose some
expert or other could figure the "fair rent" for
anything, if given this basis to start upon.

The churches are very fine, the stained-glass win-
dows excelling in some respects any we have seen,
the amount of it is so much greater. The entire end
of one of the cathedral churches is filled by three
immense windows reaching from floor to roof, the
effect of which is very grand. The choir of this
church is not in line with the other portion of the
building. In reply to my inquiry why this was so,
the guide boldly assured us, with a look of surprise
at our ignoi'ance, that all cathedrals are so con-
structed, and that the crooked choir symbolizes the
head of Christ, which is always represented leaning
to one side of the cross. The idea made me shiver;
I felt as if I should nev^er be able to walk up the aisle
of a cathedral again without an unpleasant sensation.
Thanks to a clear-headed, thorough-going 3-oung
lady, who "just didn't believe it," we soon got at
the truth about cathedrals, for she proved that they
are everywhere built on straight lines. This guide
fitly illustrates the danger of good men staying
at home in their little island, llis cathedral is
crooked, and therefore all others are or should be
so. Very English this, \c\~y. There are many
things still crooked in the dear old tight little isle
Avhich other lands have straightened out long ago,
or rather never built crooked. Ilurrv uj), 3 ou leader
of nations in generations past I It's not your role in

92 OUR COACHING TRIP.

the world to lag behind ; at least it has not been till
lately, when others have " bettered your instruc-
tion." Come along, England, you are not done for ;
only stir yourself, and the lead is still yours. The
guide was a theological student, and therefore could
not be expected to have much general knowledge,
but he surely should have known something about
cathedrals.

It rained at Coventry during breakfast, and friend
Graham ventured to suggest that perhaps some of
the ladies might prefer going by rail to Birmingham
and join the coach there at luncheon ; but

" He did not know the stuff
Of our gallent crew, so tough,
On board the Charioteer O."

He was " morally sat upon," as Lucy says. Not
a lady but indignantly repelled the suggestion.
Even Mrs. Graham, a bride, and naturall}^ somewhat
in awe of her husband yet, went so far as to say
" Tom is queer this morning."

Waterproofs and umbrellas to the front, we sal-
lied forth from the courtyard of the Queen's in a
drenching down-pour.

" But what care we how wet we be,
By the coach we'll live or die,"

That was the sentiment which animated our
breasts. For my part I w\as very favorably situated,
and I held my umbrella \^ery low to shield my fair
charge the better. Of course I greatly enjoyed the
first few miles under such conditions. My young
lady broke into song, and I thought I caught the

BRTGHTO\- TO INVERNESS. 93

sense of the words, which I fondly imagined was
something like this :

" For if you are under an umbrella
With a very handsome fellow,
It cannot matter much what the weather may be."

I asked if I had caught the words correctly, but
she archly insinuated there was something in the
second line that wasn't quite correct. I think,
though, she was only in fun ; the words were quite
right, only her eyes seemed to wander in the direc-
tion of young Bantock.

None of the ladies would go inside, so Joe had
the compartment all to himself, and no doubt
smiled at the good joke as we bowled along, Joe
was dry inside, and Perry, though outside, was just
the same ere wc found an inn. This recalled the story
of the coachman and the Oxford Don, when the
latter expressed his sympathy at the condition of the
former ; so sorry he was so wet. " Wouldn't mind
being so wet, your honor, if I weren't so dryS' But
1 think Robert Fitcairn's story almost as good as that.
A Don tried to explain to the coachman the opera-
tion of the telegraph as they drove along. " They
take a glass about the size of an ordinary tumbler,
and this they fill with a liquid resembling — ah — like
—ah — " " Anything like beer, your honor, for in-
stance ?" If Jehu didn't get his complimentary glass
at the next halt, that Don was a muff.

The rain ceased, as usual, befc^-e wc had gone far,

and we had a clear drv run until hnicheon. We see

the Black Coimtry now, rows of little dingy houses

beyond, with tall smoky chimneys vomiting smoke,

7

94 OUR COACHING TRIP.

mills and factories at every turn, coal pits and roll-
ing mills and blast furnaces, the very bottomless pit
itself ; and such dirty, careworn children, hard-driven
men, and squalid women. To think of the green
lanes, the larks, the Arcadia we have just left. How
can people be got to live such terrible lives as they
seem condemned to here ? Why do they not all run
away to the green fields just beyond ? Prett}' rural
Coventry suburbs in the morning and Birmingham
at noon ; the lights and shadows of human existence
can rarely be brought into sharper contrast. If

" Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay,"

surely better a month in Leamington than life's span
in the Black Country I But do not let us forget that
it is just Pittsburgh over again ; nay, not even quite
so bad, for that city bears the palm for dirt against
the world. The fact is, however, that life in such
places seems attractive to those born to -rural life,
and large smoky cities drain the country ; but surely
this may be safely attributed to necessit3\ With
freedom to choose, one would think the rush would be
the other way. The working classes in England do
not work so hard or so unceasingly as do their fel-
lows in America. They have ten holidays to the
American's one. Neither does their climate entail
such a strain upon men as ours does.

I remember after Vandy and I had gone round
the world and were walking Pittsburgh streets, we
decided that the Americans were the saddest-looking
race we had seen. Life is so terribly earnest here,"
Ambition spurs us all on, from him who handles the
spade to him who employs thousands. We know

BRIGHTON TO TVVERNESS. 95

no rest. It is different in the older lands — men rest
oftener and enjoy more of what life has to give.
The young Republic has some things to teach the
parent land, but the elder has an important lesson to
teach the younger in this respect. In this world we
must learn not to lay up our treasures, but to enjoy
them day by day as we travel the path we never re-
turn to. If we fail in this we shall find when we
do come to the days of leisure that we have lost
the taste for and the capacity to enjoy them. There
are so many unfortunates cursed with plenty to re-
tire upon, but with nothing to retire to ! Sound
wisdom that school-boy displayed v/ho did not
" believe in putting away for to-morrow the cake
he could eat to-day." It might not be fresh on
the morrow, or the cat might steal it. The cat steals
many a choice bit from Americans intended for the
morrow. Among the saddest of all spectacles to me
is that of an elderly man occupying his last years
grasping for more dollars. " The richest man in
America sailing suddenly for Europe to escape busi-
ness cares," said a wise Scotch gentleman to me, one
morning, as he glanced over the Times at break-
fast. Make a note of that, my enterprising friends.

We spent the afternoon in Birmingham, and en-
joyed a great treat in the Town Hall, in which there
is one of the best organs of the world. It is })la\c(l
every Saturday by an eminent musician, admission
free. This is one of the little — no, one of the great —
things done for the masses in many cities in England,
the afternoon of Saturday being kept as a holiday
everywhere.

Here is the programme for Saturday, June 25th:

BY MR. STIMPSON.

From S till 4 oclock.

|)rogrammc for func 125, ISSl :

/. Overture to A -Midsummer Nighfs Dream, Mendelssohn.

(It will only be necessary to state this descriptive Overture was
written in Berlin, August 6, 1826. Shakespere and Mendelssohn
must have been kindred spirits, for surely no more poetic in-
spiration ever came from the pen of any musical composer than
the Overture of the great German master.)

2. Romanza, - - - - - - - Haydn.

(This charming Movement is taken from the Symphony which Haydn
wrote in 1786, for Paris, entitled " La Reine de France," and
has been arranged for the organ by Mr. Best, of Liverpool.)

J. Ojfertoire, in F major, ----- Batiste.

(All the works of the French masters, Wely, Batiste, Guilmant, and
Saint-Saens, if not severely classical, have a certain grace and
charm which make them acceptable 10 even the most prejudiced
admirers of the ancient masters ; and this Offertoire of Batiste
is one of the most popular of his compositions.)

4. Fugue in G minor, - - - - J- S. Bach.

(It may interest connoisseurs to know this grand Fugue was selected
by the Umpires for the trial of skill when the present Organist
of the Town Hall was elected.)

5- J'^S^^'^'^ {Hunting Song), - - - Schumann.

6. Selection from the Opera " Martha,'' - - Flotow.

(The Opera from which this selection is taken was written in Vienna,
in 1847, and, in conjunction with "Stradella," at once stamped
the name of the author as one of the most popular of the dra-
matic composers of the present day.)

7. Dead March in Saul, ----- Handel.

|Jvicc ©uc C)alfpcuuij,

The next Free Organ Recital will be given on July 2d,

AT THREE O'CLOCK.

K HISTORY OF THE TOWN HALL ORGAN (a New Edition, Revised and
Enlarged), by Mr. STIMPSON,

Is now ready, and may be had in the Town Hall, and at the Midland Educational
Co.'s Warehouse, New Street.

NOTICE.— A box will be placed at each door to receive contributions, to
defray the expenses of these Recitals.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 97

Miss Johns said she had never before heard an
organ so grandly plaj^ed, and she knows. The man-
agement of the left hand in the fugue she declared
wonderful. It is best to give the best for the masses,
even in music, the highest of our gifts. John Bright
has made most of his speeches in this hall, but it is
no longer large enough for the Liberal demonstra-
tions, and a much larger structure has been erected.

The eleven miles between Birmingham and "Wol-
verhampton are nothing but one vast iron-work-
ing, coal-mining establishment. There is scarcely
a blade of grass of any kind to be seen, and not
one real clean pure blade did we observe during
the journey. It was Saturday afternoon and the
mills were all idle, and the operatives thronged
the villages through which we drove. O mills and
furnaces and coal-pits and all the rest of you, you ma}^
be necessary, but you are no bonnie ! Pittsburghers
though many of us were, inured to smoke and dirt,
we felt the change very deepl)' from the hedgerows,
the green pastures, the wild flowers and pretty clean
cottages, and voted the district " horrid." Wolver-
hampton's steeples soon came into sight, and we who
had been there and could conjure up dear, honest,
kindly faces waiting to welcome us with warm hearts,
were quite restored to our usual spirits, notwithstand-
ing dirt and squalor. The sun of a warm welcome
from friends gives many clouds a silver lining, and it
did make the black country brighter. The coach
and horses, and Joe and Perry, not to mention our
generalissimo Graham, belong to Wolverhampton, as
you know, and our arrival had been looked for bv
man}-. The crowd was quite dense in the i)rincipal

98 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Street as we drove through. One delegation after
another was left at friends' houses, the Charioteers
having been billeted upon the connection ; and here
far the first time we were to enjoy a respite.

Wolverhampton, June 25-30.

We were honored by an entertainment at his
Honor the Mayor's. As usual on fine days in Eng-
land, the attractions of the mansion (and they are not
small in this case) gave place to open-air enjoyments
on the lawn — the game, the race, the stroll, and all
the rest of the sports which charm us in this climate.
The race across the lawn was far better fun than the
Derby, but our gentlemen must go into strict train-
ing before they challenge those English girls again.
It is some consolation that Iroquois has since vindi-
cated the glory of the. Republic.

We coached one day about fourteen miles to
Apley House, and had a joyous picnic day with our
friends Mr. and Mrs. Sing, of Newton. The party
numbered seventy odd, great and small. That day
the Charioteers agreed should be marked as a red-
letter day in their annals, for surely never was a
day's excursion productive of more enjoyment to all
of us. There are few, if any, prettier views in Eng-
land than that from the terrace at Apley House.
The Vale of Severn deserves its reputation. We
had a trip on the river for several miles from
Bridgenorth to the grounds as part of the day's
pleasure.

How very small England's great rivers are ! I
remember how deeply hurt Mr. Franks was when
his Yankee nephew (H. P. Jr., Our Pard) visited

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 99

him for the first time, and was shown the river by
his uncle, who loved it. "Call this a river?" ex-
claimed he, " why, it's only a creek ! I could al-
most jump across it there" — but H. P. was young
then, and would not have hesitated to " speak disre-
spectfully of the equator " upon occasion. I won the
good man's heart at once by saying that small though
it was in size (and what has either he or I to boast
of in that line, I wonder), little Severn filled a larger
space in the world's destiny and the world's
thoughts than twenty mighty streams. Listen :

" Three times they breathed and three times did they drink,
Upon agreement of swift Severn's flood,
Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds
And hid his crisp head in the hollow bank,
Blood-stained with these violent combatants."

Wh}^ you have hot a river like that in all Amer-
ica. H. P, was judiciously silent. But I do not
think he was ever quite forgiven. These Americans
have always such big ideas.

The free library at Wolverhampton interested
me. T do not know where better proof of the ad-
vantages of such an institution is to be found. It was
started upon a small scale, about fifteen thousand
dollars being expended ; now some forty thousand
dollars have been spent iqion the building. Last
year eighty-six thousand books were issued. I
counted at noon, June 30th, sixty-three persons in
the reading-room, and at another time nearl}^ two
hundred readers. On Saturdays, between two and
ten r. M., the number averages fully a thousand. In
addition to the circulating library, there are a refer-

TOO OUR COACHING TRIP.

ence library, a museum, and large reading-rooms.
Several courses of lectures are connected with the
institution, with teachers for the various branches.
One teacher, a Mr. Williams, has " passed " scholars
in the science and art department every year, and
one year every one of his scholars passed the Ken-
sington examination. A working plumber who at-
tended these classes gained prizes for chemistry and
electricit}^ and is now secretary of the water-works
at Chepstow. We may hear more of that climber
3'et. Plenty of room at the top ! No sectarian
papers are subscribed for, but all reputable publica-
tions are received if sent. In this way all sects are
represented by their best, if the members see fit to
contribute them. This is the true plan. " Error
may be tolerated if truth be free to combat it. Let
truth and error grapple." The city levies one penny
per pound upon the rates, as authorized by the
libraries act. This nets about four thousand dollars
per annum. Just see what powerful agencies for
the improvement of the people can be set on foot for
a trifling sum.

Wolverhampton is a go-ahead city (I note a
strong Scotch element there). A fine park has re-
cently been acquired and laid out with taste. This
show's that the physical well-being of the people is
not lost sight of. The administration of our friend
ex-Mayor Dickinson is to be credited with this in-
valuable acquisition. Mr. Dickinson took the most
prominent part in the matter, and having succeeded
he can consider the park his own estate. It is not in
any sense taken away from him, nor one of its charms
lessened because his fellow-citizens share its bless-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. lOl

ings. Indeed as I strolled through it with him I
thought the real sense of ownership must be sweeter
from the thousands of his fellows whom we saw re-
joicing within it than if he were indeed the lordly
owner in fee and rented it for revenue. This whole
subject of meum and tuum needs reconsideration.
If Burns, when he held his plough in joy upon the
mountain-side and saw what he saw, felt what he
felt, was not more truly the real possessor of the
land than the reputed nominal landlord, then I do
not grasp the subject. There are woeful blunders
made as to the ownership of things. Who owns the
treasures of the Sunderland or Hamilton libraries?
and who will shed the tears over their dispersion
think you, chief mourner by Virtue of deepest loss,
the titled dis-graces, in whose names they stand, or
the learned librarian whose days have been spent in
holy companionship with them ? It is he who has
made them his own, drawn them from their miser-
able owners into his heart. I tell 3^ou a man can-
not be the real owner of a library or a picture gal-
lery without a title from a much higher tribunal than
the law. Nor a horse either, for that matter. Who
owns your favorite horse ? Test it ! I say the
groom does. Call Habeeb or Roderick. So slow
their response ! I won't admit the}' don't know and
like me too. John knows my weakness and stands,
out of sight and lets me succeed slowly with them ;
but after that, see at one word from him how they
prick up their ears and neigh, dance in their boxes,
push their grand heads under his arm, and say as
plainly as can be, " This is our man." I'm only a
sleeping partner with Jolin in them after all. It's the

I02 OUR COACHING TRIP.

same all through ; go to your dogs, or out to your
tiocks, and see every sheep, and even thehttle lambs,
the cows with their kind, glowering eyes, the chickens,
and every living thing run from you to throng round
the hand that feeds them. There is no real purchase
in money, you must win friendship and ownership in
the lower range of life with kindness, companionship,
love ; the coin of the realm is not legal tender with
Trust, or Habeeb, or Brownie, nor with any of the
tribe.

We can tell you nothing of the hotels of Wolver-
hampton, but the fourteen of us can highly recom-
mend certain quarters where it was our rare privi-
lege to be honored guests. Whether the English
eat and drink more than the Americans may be a
debatable question, but they certainly do so oftener.
The young ladies quartered at Newbridge reported
this the only bar to perfect happiness ; they never
wanted to leave the garden for meals nor to remain
so long at table. As Miss Jeannie reported, they
just sound a gong and spring luncheons and teas and
suppers on you. The supper is an English institu-
tion, even more sacred than the throne, and destined
to outlive it. You cannot escape it, and to tell the
truth, after a little you have no wish to do so.
There is much enjoyment at supper, and in Scotland
this is the toddy-time, and who \vould miss that hour
of social glee !

Mention must be made of the private theatricals
at Merridale and of the amateur concert at Clifton
House, both highly creditable to the talented per-
formers and productive of great pleasure to the
guests. I find a programme of the latter and incor-
porate it as part of the record :

©Uftoii iijousc, 3lOoIbci1)am})ton,

JUNE 29tu, 1881.

-^P^061^^j8ipE-l-OF-fJllUgIC«

Pianoforte Duet .. "Oberon" .. .. Rene Favayer
Misses A. J. aud A. C. BANTOCK.

Song
Song

Ladies' Trio
Song

" Twenty-one " . .
Miss SUSIE DICKINSON.

"The Iliifi" ..
Mr. BANTOCK PIERPOINT.

. . " O Skylark, for thy wing: "
Misses BANTOCK and DICKINSON.

"A Summer Shower "
Miss DICKINSON.

Song
Song

Pianoforte Solo
Song

Song
Song
Duet

"The Better Land"
Miss M. BANTOCK.

. 'fThe Lost Cliord"
Miss PIERPOINT.

. . " La Ciiscad(!" . .
Miss ALICE DICKINSON.

" Let me dream apain "
Miss REID.

.. "The Diver" ..
Mr. ARTHUR BANTOCK.

"Mv Nannie's awa' "
Miss JEANNIE JOHNS.

When the Wind blows in from the Sea" .

Molloy

Piiisuti

Smart

Marziales

Cowen

Sidlivan

Pmier

Sullivan

Loder

Smart

Miss M. BAiNTOCK and Mr. BANTOCK PIERPOINT.
Song . . . . " For ever and foi' ever " . . Paolo Toiti

Song

" For ever and foi' ever "
Miss A. J. BA.NTOCK.

" Tlie Boatswain's Storv "
Mr. BANTOCK PI KR POINT.

— -*tan— -

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

Molloy

I04 OUR COACHING TRIP.

A great many fine compliments have been paid to
performers in this world, but do you remember one
much better than this ? Our Miss Jeannie sang " My
Nannie's awa'," my favorite among twenty favor-
ites ; and she did sing it that night to perfection.
We were all proud of our prima donna. When she
returned to her seat next to Maggie, there was whis-
pered in her ear : " Oh, Jeannie, the lump's in my
throat yet !" All the hundred warm expressions
bestowed upon her did not weigh as much as that
little gem of a tribute. When you raise the lump in
the throat b}^ a song you are upon the right key and
have the proper style, even if your teacher has been
no other than your own heart, the most important
teacher of all.

After the theatricals at Merridale came the feast.
The supper-table comes before me, and the speeches.
The orator of the Wolverhampton connection is ex-
Mayor Bantock. He speaks well, and never did he
appear to greater advantage than on that evening.
It's a sight " gude for sair een" to see a good-
natured, kindly English gentleman presiding at the
festive board, surrounded by his children and his
children's children, and the family connections to the
number of seventy odd. They are indeed a kindly
people, but oh dear ! those who have never been out
of their little island, even the mc^st liberal of them,
have such queer, restricted notions about the rest of
mankind ! This, however, is only natural ; travel is
in one sense the only possible educator. The best
speech of the evening upon our side was made by
Mr. Phipps, who said he felt that after he had for-
gotten all else about this visit, the smiling faces of

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 105

the pretty, rosy-cheeked English young ladies he
had been admiring ever since he came to Wolver-
hampton, and never more ardently than this evening,
would still haunt his thoughts ; and then, with more
emphasis, he closed with these memorable words :
" And 1 tell you, if ever young men ask me where
they can find the nicest, sweetest, prettiest, and best
young ladies for wives, they won't have to ask
twice." (Correct ! shake, Pard !)

We were fortunate in seeing the statue to Mr,
Villiers unveiled. Earl Granville spoke with rare
grace and ease, his style being so far beyond that
of the other speakers that they suffered by compari-
son. The sledge-hammer style of orator}^ is done.
Let ambitious youngsters make a note of that, and
no longer strut and bellow, and tear a passion all to
tatters, to very rags. Shakespeare understood it :

" In the very tempest and I may say whirlwind of your passion.
You must beget a temperance to give it utterance."'

The effort now making throughout Great Britain
to provide coffee-houses as substitutes for the numer-
ous gin palaces has not been neglected in Wolver-
hampton. The Coffee House Company which oper-
ates in the city and neighborhood has now fourteen
houses in successful operation, and, much to my as-
tonishment and gratification, I learned that seven and
a half per cent dividends were declared and about
an equal amount of profit reserved for contingen-
cies. In Birmingham there are twenty houses, and
cash dividends of ten per cent per annum have been
made. If they can be general! \' made to pay even
half as well, a grand advance has been made in the

io6 OUR COA'CHING TRIP.

war against intemperance. I visited one of the
houses with Mr. Dickinson, who, I rejoice to say, is
Chairman of the Company, and in this great office
does more for the cause than a thousand loud-
mouthed orators who only denounce the evil about
which we are all agreed, but have no plan to suggest
for overcoming it. It is so easy to denounce and tear
down ; but try to build up once and see what slow,
discouraging labor is involved.

The prices in these coffee-houses are very low :
one large cup of good tea, coffee, or cocoa, at the
counter, \d (2 cents) ; one sandwich, id (2 cents). If
taken upstairs in a room at a table, one half more.

There is a reading-room with newspapers free,
bagatelle-table, and comfortable sitting-rooms ; also
a ladies' room and a lavatory, and cigars, tobacco,
and all non-alcohohc drinks are provided. Men go
there at night to read and to play games. The
company has been operating for three years, and the
business increases steadily. We saw similar houses
in most of the towns we passed, and wished them
God-speed.^

A chairman of a company like this has it in his
power to do more good for the masses, who are the
people of England, than if he occupied his time as
member of Parliament ; but the English exalt poli-
tics unduly and waste the lives of their best men
disputing over problems which the more advanced
Republicans have settled long ago and cleared out of
their way. They will learn better by and by. We
must not be impatient. They are a slow race and
prone to makeshifts politically.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 107

" Nae man can tether time nor tide.

The hour approaches, Tam must [let us] ride."

Our six days at Wolverhampton had passed rap-
idly away in one continual round ol social pleasures,
and now we were off again to fresh fields and pas-
tures new. The horn sounds. We call the roll
once more. Mr. Beck Senior had left us at Wind-
sor, but the Junior Beck he sent us fitly represented
the family. If he couldn't tell as many funny stories
nor quote as much poetry as his sire, the young Cam-
bridge wrangler could sing college songs and give
our young ladies many glimpses of young England.
He was a great favorite was Theodore (young
Obadiah).

Miss Beck and he left us at Banbury, much to our
regret, but London engagements were imperative.
Mr. and Mrs. King arrived. If ever a couple re-
ceived a warmer welcome I never saw or heard of
it. It seemed as if we had been separated for years,
and how often during our journey had one or another
of the party regretted that Aggie and .\alcck were
missing all this.

It was upon the ocean that Ben and Davie con-
ceived the idea that a run to Paris would be advis-
able. Leave of absence for two weeks was accord-
ingly granted to four — Mr. and Mrs. McCargo,
Miss Johns, and Mr. Vandevort.

We bade them good-bye at Wolverhampton,
Thursday, June 30th, and saw them fairly off, not
without tears upon both sides from the weaker sex.
These partings are miserable things always. Their
places were taken by Miss Jeannie Reid (a Dunferm-
line bairn), Miss Amelia Bantock, and Mr. Dickin-

io8 OUR COACHING TRIP.

son. Next morning we gathered the clans at Mr.
Graham's, calling at Mr. Ben Bantock's and at Mr.
Thomas's for the contingent they had so kindly
entertained ; thence to Mr. Dickinson's, and then to
Merridale for the remainder and the final start.

It was a sight to see the party on the lawn there'
as we drove off, giving three heartv cheers for
Wolverhampton. In special honor of the head of
the clan there, the master of Merridale, we had just
sung " For he is an Englishman." Yes, he is the
Englishman all over. Mr. Graham, no longer in his
official capacity, however, drove out with Mr. Wil-
son several miles and saw us fairly off. The parting
was a sad one. How we were to get on without our
late general manager was a source of anxiety, but
Mr. McCandless soon proved that he was a worthy
successor, and from that parting till our arrival in
New York his laurels increased. Our route for
many miles was still in the black country, but near
Lichfield we reached once more the rural beauties of
England. How thankful to get away once more
from the dirt and smoke and bustle of manufactories.
' The new members had not gone far before they
exhibited in an aggravated form all the usual signs
of the mania which had attacked and so seriously
affected all who have ever mounted our coach. The
older members derived great pleasure from seeing
how completely the recent acquisitions were carried
away. Their enthusiasm knew no bounds, and we
drove into the Swan at Lichfield brimful of happi-
ness. We had left Wolverhampton about noon,
the stage for the day being a short one, only
twenty miles.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 109

Lichfield, July t.

The cathedral deserves a visit, out of the way of
travel as it is. Its three spires and its chapter house
are the finest we have yet seen ; and then Chan-
trey's sleeping children is worth travelling hundreds
of miles to see. Never before has marble been
made to express the childish sleep of innocence as
this does.

It was strange that I should stumble upon a
monument in the cathedral to Major Hodson, whose
grave I had visited in India. He lies with Have-
lock in the pretty little English cemetery at Luck-
now, poor fellow, and here his friends and neighbors
away in quiet Lichfield have commemorated his
valor.

There are in the cathedral seven very fine stained-
glass windows which were found stowed away in a
farm-house in Belgium, and purchased by an Eng-
lish gentleman for ^200, and now they rank among
the most valuable windows in the world. What a
pity that the treasures wantonly destroyed during
the Reformation had not found similar shelter, to be
brought from their hiding-places once more to de-
light us.

• We heard service Saturdav morning, and
mourned over the waste of exquisite music — twenty-
six singers in the choir and only ten persons to lis-
ten in the vast cathedral, besides our party. It is
much the same throui^hout Euirland. In no case
during week days did we ever see as many persons
in the congregation as in the choir. Surely the im-
pressive cathedrals of England are capable of being
put to greater uses than this. It seems a sin to have
8

no OUR COACHING TRIP.

such choirs and not conduct them in some way to
reach and elevate greater numbers. In no building
would an oratorio sound so well. AVhy should not
these choirs be made the nucleus for a chorus in
every district, and let us have music which would
draw the masses within the sacred walls? But ma}'-
be this would be sacrilegious. The theological mind
may see in the music suggested an unworthy in-
truder in domains sacred to dogma. Some day,
however, my lord bishop and lazy crew, the cathe-
drals of England will not be yours alone to drone in,
but become mighty centres of grand music, from
Avhich shall radiate elevating influences over entire
districts, and the best minds of the nation, remember-
ing how narrow and bigoted the church was when
these structures were built, will change the poet's
line and say :

" To what great uses have the}' come at last !"

The world moves and the church establishment
must move with it, or-^this is a splendid place to
stop — there is as great virtue in your ' 'or' ' as in your
" if," sometimes. Here is the best description of
service in an English cathedral :

•

" And love the high embowered roof,
V/ith antic pillars massy proof,
And storied windows richly dight.
Casting a dim religious light :
There let the pealing organ blow,
To the full voic'd choir below,
In service high, and anthems clear,
As may with sweetness, through my ear.
Dissolve me into ecstasies,
And bring all heav'n before mine eyes."

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. iii

The music at Lichfield does indeed draw )'0u
into regions beyond and intimates immortality, and
we exclaim with friend Izaak Walton, " Lord, what
music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven,
when thou affordest bad men such music on earth !"

I remember that when in China I read that Con-
fucius was noted for his intense passion for music.
He said one day to his disciples that music not only
elevates man while he is listening to it, but that to
those who love it it is able to create distinct images
which remain after the strains cease and keep the
mind from base thoughts. Think of the sage know-
ing this when he had probably only the sing-song
Chinese fiddle to console him ! I forofet, he had
the gongs, and a set of fine gongs of different tones
make most suggestive music, as I have discovered.

The position of Lichfield Cathedral is peculiarly
fine. Three sides of the square surrounding it are
occupied by fine ecclesiastical buildings connected
with the diocese, including the bishop's palace. A
beautiful sheet of water lies upon the lower side, so
that nothing incongruous meets the eye.

We obtained there a better idea of the magnitude
of the church establishment and its to us seeminirly
criminal waste of riches than ever before. To think
of all this power for good wasting itself up(Mi a beg-
garly account of empty benches, the choir outnum-
bering the conofrciration I

We had oi'dered the coach to come and await us
at tiie cathedral, but had not expected I'erry to drive
up to the very door. There the glittering equipage
was, however, surrounded by groups of pretty, rosy
children and many older people gazing respectfully.

112 OUR COACHING TRIP.

We mounted and drove off, taking a last lond look of
grand old Lichfield.

DOVEDALE, Jul)- 2-3.

Our objective point was Dovedale, thirty miles
distant. When three miles out vve stopped at Elm-
hurst Hall for Miss French, who had preceded us
to pay a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Fox, who ver}- kindl}'
inyited the party to dismount and lunch with them ;
but the thirty miles to be done would not permit us
the pleasure. The next time we pass, however, good
master and mistress of Elmhurst Hall, 3'ou shall
certainly have the Charioteers within your hospit-
able walls, if you desire it, for such an inviting place
we have rarel}' seen. Miss French remained with
them over Sunda}' and joined us at Rowsley on
Monday.

We were to lunch in Sudbury Park, the residence
of Lord Vernon. This was the first grassy luncheon
of the live new-comers, and we were all delighted to
see their enjoyment of this most Arcadian feature of
our coaching life. It proved to be one of our pleas-
antest luncheons, for there is no finer spot in England
than Sudbury Park. Of course it is not the glen nor
the wimpling burn of the Highlands, but for quiet
England it is superb.

The site chosen was near a pretty brook. Before
us was the old-fashioned brick Queen Anne mansion,
and behind us in the park was a cricket ground,
where a match between two neighboring clubs was
being worthily contested. The scene was indeed
idyllic. There was never more fun and laughter at
any of our luncheons. Aaleck had to be repressed

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 113

at last, for several of the members united in a com-
plaint against him. Their sides ached, but that they
did not mind so much ; their anxiety was about
their cheeks, which were seriously threatened with
an explosion if they attempted to eat. To avoid
such results it was voted that no one should make a
joke nor even a remark. Silence was enjoined ; but
what did that amount to ! The signs and grimaces
were worse than speech. Force was no remedy. It
took time to get the party toned down, but eventually
the lunch was finished.

We strolled over and watched the cricketers. It
all depends upon how you look at a thing. So many
able-bodied perspiring men knocking about a little
ball on a warm summer's day, that is one way ; so
many men reheved from anxious care and laying the
foundation for long years of robust health by invigo-
rating exercise in the open air, that is the other view
of the question. The ancients did not count against
our little span of life the days spent in the chase ;
neither need wc charge those spent in cricket ; and as
for our sport, coaching, for every day so spent we
decided that it and another might safel}^ be credited.
He was a very wise prime minister who said he had
often found important duties for which he had not
time ; one duty, however, he had always made time
for, his daily afternoon ride on horseback. Your
always -busy man accomplishes little ; the great doer
is he who has plenty of leisure. The man at the
helm turns the wheel now and then, and so easil}- too,
touching an electric bell ; it's (he stoker di)wn be-
low who is })itching into it with In's coat off. And
look at Captain INIcMickcn promenading the deck

114 'OUR COACHING TRIP.

ill his uniform and a face like a full moon ; quite at
his ease and ready for a story. And there is John-
nie Watson, chief engineer, who rules over the
throbbing heart of the ship : he is standing there
prepared for a crack. Moral — Don't worry yourself
over work, hold yourself in reserve, and sure as fate,
" it will all come right in the wash."

Leaving the contestants, we walked down to the
lake in front of the mansion, and with our usual good
fortune we were just in time to see the twenty acres
of ornamental water dragged for pike, which play
such havoc with other fish. The water had been
drained into a small pond, which seemed alive with be-
wildered fish. We sat and watched with quiet inter-
est the men drawing the net. Hundreds were caught
at every haul, from which the pike were taken. A
tremendous eel gave the men a lively chase ; three
or four times it escaped, wriggled through their legs
and hands one after the other, and made for the
water. Had the gamekeeper not succeeded in pin-
ning it to the ground with a pitchfork, the eel would
have beaten the whole party.

Lord Vernon's park is rich in attractions. An
old narrow picturesque arched bridge, which spans
the pretty lake, has a statue of Adam at one end and
Eve at the other. Over the former the ivy clusters
so thickly as to make our great prototype a mass of
living green ; poor Eve has been less favored, for
she is in a pitiable plight for a woman, with " noth-
ing to wear.

But Eve was not used to kind treatment. Adam
w^as by no means a modern model husband, and
never gave Eve anything in excess except blame.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 115

Here she is still, the Flora McFlirasy of my friend
William Allen Butler (minus the flora as I have
said) ; but let her be patient, her dress is sure to
come, for kind nature in England abhors nakedness.
She is ever at work clothing ever^^thing with her
mantle of green.

" Ever and ever bringing secrets fortli,
It silteth in the green of forest glades
Nursing strange seedlings at the cedar's root.
Devising leaves, blooms, blades.
This is its touch upon the blossomed rose,
The fashion of its hand shaped lotus leaves ;
In dark soil and the silence of the seeds
The robe of Spring it weaves."

We had rare enjoyment at the lake, and envied
Lord Vernon his princely heritage. The old forester
who once showed me over a noble estate in Scot-
land was quite right. I was enchanted with one of
the views, and repeated,

" Where is the coward who would not dare
To fight for such a land !"

" Aye," said the old man, " aye, it's a grand
country, /<?r the lairds.'' It will l)e a grander coun-
try some day when it is less " for the lairds" and
more for the toiling masses ; but may the destroying
angel of progress look kindly upon such scenes of
beauty as Sudbury Park. The extensive estate may
be disentailed and cultivated by a thousand small
owners in smiling homes, with educated children
within them, and the land bring forth greater har-
vests touched by the magic wand of the sense of own-
ership, and yet the mansion and park remain intact
and give to its possessor rarer pleasures than at pres-
ent. I think one of the greatest drawbacks to life

Il6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

in Britain in grand 'sXyX^ must be the contrast exist-
ing between the squire and the people about him.
It is bad enough even in Chester Valley, Avhere the
average condition and education of the inhabitants
are probably equal to any locahty in the world, but in
England it is far too marked for comfort, I should
think.

While we were still lingering on the banks of the
lake Perry's horn sounded from the main road to
call us from the enchanting scene, and we were off
for Dovedale through pretty Ashbourne.

Can any one picture a resting-place so full of
peace and beauty as the old Izaak Walton Inn ? (If
you don't put in that k, Mr. Printer, there will be
trouble.) We arrived there in the twilight, and som.e
of us walked down the long hill and got our first
sight of the Dove from the bridge at the foot across
the stream.

I got the memorable verses near enough from
memory to repeat them on the bridge. Let me put
them down here, for in truth, simple as they are, who
is going to predict the coming of the day when they
will cease to be prized as one of the gems of literature ?

" She dwelt among the untrodden ways,
Beside the springs of Dove,
A maid whom there were none to praise,
And very few to love.

" A violet by a mossy stone.
Half hidden from the eye ;
Fair as a star when onl}' one
Is shining in the sky.

" She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be ;
But she is in her grave, and oh,
The difference to me !"

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 117

But think of dear old Izaak and of his fishing
e.N'Cursions to this very spot. He actually stayed at
our inn ! lie too is secure of his position as the
author of a classic, for as long a time as we care
to look forward to. Is it not strange that no one
has ever imitated this man's unique style? "God
leads us not to heaven by many nor by hard ques-
tions," says the fisherman, and he knew a thing or
two. There is a flavor about him peculiarly his own,
but especially rich when read in this old inn, sacred
to his memory. I enjoyed him with a fresh relish
during the few hours of Sunday which I could de-
vote to him, for there is a good sermon in many a
sentence of the "Complete Angler." Dear old
boy, your place in m}- library and in my heart too is
secure.

Ham Hall, near the inn, is the great place, and
there is a prett}^ little church within a stone's throw
of it. We walked over on Sunday morning and saw
the squire come into church with his family and take
his seat among his people, for I take it most of the
congregation were connected with the hall. The
parson no doubt was the api)ointee of the sc^uire,
and we tried to estimate the importance of these two
men in the district ; their duties and influence — both
great— for to a large extent the moral as well as the
material well-being of a community in rural England
depend upon the character of the hall and parsonage.
The squire was Mr. Ilanbury, M.P., who court-
eously invited our party to visit the hall after service,
and to stroll as we pleased through his grounds.
He had been in America, and knew our erratic
genius and brother iron-master Abram S. Hewitt.

Ii8 OUR COACHING TRIP.

In the evening we received from him some fine
photographs of the hall (a truly noble one), which
we prize highly. The accompanying note was even
more gratifying, for it said that he had been so
warmly received in America that it was always a
pleasure when opportunity offered to show Ameri-
cans such attentions as might b^ in his power. It
is ever thus, cold indifference between the two Eng-
lish-speaking branches is found only among the stay-
at-homes. The man who knows from personal expe-
rience the leading characteristics of the people upon
both sides of the ferry is invariably a warm and
sincere friend. The two peoples have only to be-
come acquainted to become enthusiastic over each
other's rare qualities.

This is a sheep-grazing district, quite hilly, and
the rainfall is much beyond the average ; but the
weather question troubles us little ; the Charioteers
carry sunshine within and without. Our afternoon
\valk was along the Dove, which we followed up the
glen between the hills for several miles, finding new
beauties at every turn. Mr. Hanbury has the stream
on his estr.te reserved for five miles for his own fish-
ing, but our landlord said he w^as very generous and
always gave a gentleman a day's sport when proper-
ly applied for. We were offered free range by Mr.
Hanbury, a privilege which Davie and I hold in re-
serve for a future day, that we may most success-
fully conjure the shade of our congenial brother of
the angle; "for you are to note," saith he, "that
we anglers all- love one another." We at least all
love Izaak Walton, " an excellent angler and now
with God." Reading the ingenious defence of fish-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 119

ing by our author, " an honest man and a most ex-
cellent fly-fisher," is not waste time in these days of
violent anti-vivisectionists, who have seen poor hares
chased down for sport all their lives, and their Prince
shoot pigeons from a trap without a protest, but who
affect to feel pity for a cat sacrificed upon the holy
altar of science. M!serable hypocrites, who swallow
so large a camel and strain at so ver}^ small a gnat !
It shows what demoralization is brought about in
good people by rank and fashion ; one rule for the
Prince who disgraces himself by cruel sports, another
for the medical student who exalts himself working
for the good of his race.

But to quaint Izaak's defence ; and first as to the
fish themselves.

" Nay, the increase of these creatures that are
bred and fed in water is not (Mily more and more
miraculous, but more advantageous to man, not only
for the lengthening of his life, but for the preventing
of sickness ; for 'tis observed by the most learned
physicians that the casting off of Lent and other fish
days hath doubtless been the chief cause of those
many putrid, shaking, intermitting agues into which
this nation of ours is now more subject than those
wiser countries Avhich feed on herbs, salads, and
plenty of fish. And it is fit to remember that Moses
(Levit. 11:9; Deut. 14 : 9) appointed fish to be the
chief diet for the best commonwealth that ever yet
was ; and it is observable not (inly that there are fish,
as namely the whale, three times as big as the mighty
elephant that is so fierce in battle, but that the
mightiest feasts have been of fish."

Is not that capital? It calls to mind Josh Bil-

I20 OUR COACHING TRIP.

lings's answer to his correspondent who wrote say-
ing that he had heard many times that a fish diet was
most favorable for increase of brain power, but he
had never been able to find out the best kind of fish
for the purpose. Could he inform him? " In your
case," replied Josh, " try a whale or two."

Here is Izaak's argument for the lawfulness of
fishing :

" And for the lawfulness of fishing it may very
well be maintained by our Saviour's bidding St.
Peter cast his hook into the water and catch a fish
for money to pay tribute to Caesar. And it is
observable that it was our Savnour's will that four
fishermen should have a priority of nomination in
the catalogue of his twelve disciples (Matt. lo : 2, 4,
13), as namely : St. Peter, St. Andrew, St. James,
and St. John, and then the rest in their order. And
it is yet more observable that when our blessed
Saviour went up into the mount when he left the
rest of his disciples and chose only three to bear him
company at his transfiguration that those three were
all fishermen ; and it is to be believed that all the
other apostles after they betook themselves to fol-
low Christ, betook themselves to be fishermen
too : for it is certain that the greater number of
them were found together fishing by Jesus after
his resurrection, as it is recorded in the 21st chap-
ter of St. John's gospel, v. 3, 4. This was the em-
ployment of these happy fishermen, concerning
which choice some have made these observations :
first, that he never reproved these for their employ-
ment or calling as he did the scribes and the money-
changers ; and secondl}', he found that the hearts of

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 121

such men were fitted for contemplation and quiet-
ness, men of mild, and sweet, and peaceable spirits,
as indeed most anglers are ; these men our blessed
Saviour, who is observed to love to plant grace in
good natures, though indeed nothing be too hard for
him, yet these men he chose to call from their irre-
provable employment of fishing and gave them grace
to be his disciples and to follow him and do won-
ders. I say four of twelve."

There I think we may safely rest the defence of our
favorite sport, especially upon secondly ; for it is all
very well to say animals must be slain that we may
live, and yet it does not give one a high idea of the
fineness of the man who chooses the occupation of a
butcher, and is happiest when he is killing some-
thing. Blood ! lago, blood ! For my part, while rec-
ognizing the necessity that the sheep should bleat
for the lamb slain that I may feast, I don't profess to
see that the arrangement is anything to rave over as
an illustration of the wisdom or the goodness of God.
Let us eat, asking no questions, but trusting that
some day we shall see clearly that all is well. Mean-
while I give up coursing, fox hunting, and pigeon
shooting as unworthy sports, and never again will I
kill a deer in sport. I once saw the mild, reproach-
ful eyes of one turned upon me as it lay wounded,
as much as to say : " I am so sorry it was yoii who
did this." So was I, poor innocent thing. It is
years since I saw that look, but it haunts me yet at
intervals. It is one of the many things I have done
for which I am ever sorry.

Too much fishing ! It is no use to try to give
you the good things of Izaak Walton, for it is with

122 OUR COACHING TRIP.

him as with Shakespeare. Two volumes of his
"beauties" handed to gentle Elia. "This is all
very well, my friend, but where are the other five
volumes?" We must get out of DoVedale — that is
clear. Allans done !

Our stage to-day was to Chatsvvoith, twenty-four
miles, where our Fourth of July dinner was to be
celebrated. As we passed Ilam Hall we stopped,
sounded our horn, and gave three cheers for the
squire who had been so kind to his " American
cousins."

Our luncheon was beside the pretty brook at
Youlgreaves, on the estate of the Duke of Rutland,
and a beautiful trout-stream it is. We could see the
speckled beauties darting about, and were quite pre-
pared to believe the wonderful stories told us of the
basketfuls taken there sometimes. There is some-
thing infectious in a running stream. It is the pret-
tiest thing in nature. Nothing adds so much to our
midday enjoyment as one of these —

" Making music o'er the enamelled stones,
And giving a gentle kiss to every sedge
It overtaketh in its pilgrimage."

Mother and Aggie were off to paidle in the burn
after luncheon, and as a fitting close the}^ kilted their
petticoats and danced a highland reel on the green-
sward, in sight of the company, but at some distance
from us. They were just wee lassies again, and to
be a wee lassie at seventy-one is a triumph indeed ;
but, as mother says, that is nothing. She intends to
be as daft for many years to come, for grandfather
was far older when he alarmed the auld wives of the

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 123

village on Halloween night, sticking his false face
through the windows. " Oh !" said one, recovering
from her fright, " it is just that daft callant, Andrew
Carnegie !" I rememher one day, in Dunfermline,
an old man in the nineties — a picture of withered
eld, a few straight, glistening white hairs on each
side of his head, and his nose and chin threatening
each other— tottered across the room to where I
was sitting, and laying his long, skinny hand upon
my head, murmured :

" An' ye're a gran'son o' Andrew Carnegie's !
Aye, maan, I've seen the day when your grand-
faether an' me could have hallooed ony reasonable
maan oot o' his judgment."

1 hope to be a daft callant at seventy-one — as daft as
we all were that day. Indeed, we were all daft enough
while coaching, but mother really ought to have been
restrained a little. She went beyond all bounds.

Let me try to give an idea how this blessed Eng-
land is crowded. Here is a signboard we stopped
at to-day, to make sure we were taking the right way;
for, even with the ordnance map upon one's knee,
strict attention is required or you will be liable to
take the wrong turn.

A voice from the general manager : " Perry,
stop at the post and let us be sure."

" Right, sir." ,

The post points four ways, east, west, north, and
south.

First arm reads as follows : Tissington, 3 ; Mat-
lock Bath, 10 ; Chesterfield, 21.

Second arm : Ashbourne, 3 ; Derby, 16; Kissing-
ton, 19.

124 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Third arm : Doveclale, Okedon, Ham.

Fourth arm : New Haven, 6 ; Buxton, 17 ; Bake-
well, 13 ; Chats worth, 16.

All this the guide-post said at one turn, and
fortunate it was that Chatsworth, our destination,
happened to be upon the fourth arm, for had the
worthy road-surveyors not deemed it necessary to
extend their information beyond Bakewell, 3^ou see
we might as well have consulted the Book of Days.

The entrance to Kissington estate was near the
post, and we were very kindly permitted to drive
through, which it was said would save several miles
and give vis a view of another English hall. We
managed, however, to take a wrong turn somewhere,
and added some eight miles to our journey ; so much
the better — the longer the route the happier we were.

Every English hall seems to have some special
features in which it surpasses all others. This is as
it should be, for it permits every fortunate owner to
love his own home for acknowledged merits of its
own. If one has the nobler terrace, another boasts
a finer lawn ; and if one has woods and a rooker}^,
has not the other the winding Nith through its bor-
ders ? One cannot have the best of everything,
even upon an English estate ; neither can one life
have the best possible of everything. Let us then
be thankful for our special mercies, and let all our
ducks be swans, as friend Edward says mine are.

Have you never had your friend praise his wife
to you in moments of confidence, when you have
been fishing for a week together ? You wonder for
a few moments, as you recall the Betsey or Susan
he extols, for, if the truth is to be spoken, you have

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 125

as it were shed tears for him when you thought of
his yoke. Well, that is the true way ; let him make
her a swan, even if she is not very much of a duck.

We stopped at Rowsley for Miss French. She
brought the London Times, which gave us the first
news of the terrible catastrophe in Washington. We
would not believe that the shot was to prove fatal.
It did not seem possible that President Garfield's
career was to end in such a wa}^ ; but, do what we
could, the great fear would not down, and we
reached Chatsworth much depressed. Our fourth
of July was a sad one, and the intended celebration
was giv^en up. Fortunately, the news became more
encouraging day after day, so much so that the
coaching party ventured to telegraph its congratu-
lations through Secretary Blaine, and it was not un-
til we reached New York that we knew that a re-
lapse had occurred. The cloud which came over us,
therefore, had its silver lining in the promise of re-
covery and a return to greater usefulness than ever.

We stopped to visit Haddon tiall upon our way
to Chatsworth, but here we came upon tourists'
ground. Every one does the sights of the neighbor-
hood, and readers are therefore respectfully referred
to the guide-books. We had our first dusty ride to-
day, for we are upon limestone roads, but the dis-
comfort was only trifling ; the weather, however,
was really warm, and our umbrellas were brought
into use as sunshades.

Haddon Hall is a fine specimen of the old hall,

and Chatsworth of the wqw , except that the latter

partakes far too much of the show feature. It is no

doubt amazing to the crowds of Manchester and Bir-

9

126 OUR COACHING TRIP.

mingham workers who flock here for a holiday and
who have seen nothing finer, but to \is who have in
our travels seen the real gems of England, this
Chatsworth is largely paste. I speak only of the in-
terior, of course, for the house itself and its sur-
roundings are grand.

EdENSOR, Jul}' 4.

Edensor is the model villae^e which the Duke of
Devonshire has built adjoining the park — a very ap-
propriate and pretty name, for it is perhaps the finest
made-to-order village in England. The day was so
warm, and our next stage to Buxton being not very
long (twenty-six miles), we decided to spend the day
here and take an evening drive.

We met here, enjoying their honeymoon, a bride
and groom who were well known to our Wolver-
hampton delegation, and how do you suppose they
Avere travelling 1 Not in the ordinary mode, I as-
sure you. I mention this incident that some of my
charming young lady friends, who give me so much
pleasure riding with me, may make a note of it.
They were doing beautiful Derbyshire on horse-
back ! It was delightful to see them start off in this
way. I became interested in the bride, who must
be no ordinary woman to think of this plan ; she
told me it was proving a wonderful success ; and the
happy young fellow intimated to me, in a kind of
confidential way, that her novel idea was the finest
one he had ever been a part\^ to. I asked him if he
could honestly recommend it, and he boldly said he
could. We must think over this.

BKIGHTO.Y TO INVERNESS. 127

The evening ride was one of our pleasantest
experiences. How entrancing England is after a
warm day, when everything seems to rejoice in the
hours of peace succeeding the sunshine which forces
growth !

" When the lieart-sick earth

Turns her broad back upon the gaud}' sun.
And stoops her weary forehead to the night
To struggle with her sorrow all alone,
The moon, that patient sufferer, pale with pain,
Presses her cold lips on her sister's brow
Till she is calm."

It is thus the earth appeared to me as we drove
along ; it was resting after its labors of the sunny
day. The night was spent at Buxton, that famous
spa. Many invalids are there drinking the waters ;
but I take it, as is usual with such places, the change
of air and scene, of thought, and effort, and, with
most, change of diet and freedom from excess, count
for ninety nine points, and the waters, mavbc, for one.
. But it is of no consequence what docs it. so it is
done, and Buxton continues to flourish. Our hotel
was a magnificent " limited companv" affair. The
start next morning was a sight in the first real down-
pour in dead earnest we had experienced. The sky
was dark — not one tiny ray of light to give us the
slightest hope of change ; the barometer low and
still falling. Clearly we were in for it ; nevertheless,
at the appointed hour the Gay Charioteers, arrayed
in their waterproofs, with the good hats and bonnets
all inside the coach, passed through the crowds of
guests who lined the hall, wondering at these mad
Americans, and tt^ok their accustomed seats with an

!28 OUR COACHING TRIP.

alacrity that showed they considered the weather
"perfectly lovely."

There are two miles of steep ascent as we leave
the town, and a few of us decided to walk, Misses
Emma and Alice being of the number. Those who
started upon the coach were all right ; the pedes-
trians, however, found themselves far from dry when
the top was reached — feet and knees were wet. By
noon the rain had ceased, and we stopped at a little
inn, where fires were made, our " reserve" clothing
brought into use, and our wet clothes dried, and we
were as happy as larks when we sat down to lunch-
eon. Is not that a wise test which Thackeray puts
in the mouth of one of his waiters : " Oh, I knew he
was a gentleman, he was so easily pleased " ? Well,
our host and hostess at that little inn, who were taken
so by surprise when a four-in-hand stopped at the
door, said something like this about the Ameri-
can ladies and gentlemen as they left. Why not ?
Nothing comes amiss to the Gay Charioteers, and
so on we go to Manchester, getting once more into
the grim, smoky regions of manufacturing enterprise.

Manchester, Jul}' 6.
Mine host of The Queen's takes the prize for the
one best " swell " dinner enjoyed by the party ; but
then the rain and the moderate luncheon at the little
inn, so different from the picnics on flowery banks,
may have given it a relish. The Queen's was evi-
dently determined that its American guests should
leave with a favorable impression, and so they
did.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 129

There was time to visit the Town Hall and walk
the principal streets, but all felt an invincible repug-
nance to larg-e towns. It was not these we had come
to see. Let us get away as soon as possible, and out
once more to the green fields. The morning was
cloudy, but the rain held off, and we left the hotel
amid a great crowd. The police htid at last to step
in front of the coach and clear tlie way. The news-
papers had announced our arrival and intended de-
parture, and this brought the crowd upon us. Get-
ting into and out of large cities is the most difficult
part of our driving, for the ordnance map is useless
there — frequent stoppages and inquiries must be
made ; but so far we have been fortunate, and our
horn keeps opposing vehicles out of our way in
narrow streets and in turning corners. We were
bound for Anderton Hall, to spend the night with
our friend Mr. Burroughs. Luncheon was taken in
a queer, old-fashioned inn, where we ate from bare
deal tables and drank home-brewed ale while we

sang

" Let gentlemen fine sit down to tlieir wine,
But we will stick to our beer, we will,
For we will stick to our beer."

The number and variety of temperance drinks
advertised in England is incredible. Non-alcoholic
beverages meet us in flaming advertisements at
every step— from nervous tonics, phosphated, down
to the most startling of all, which, according
to the London Echo of June 2i\, the Bishop of
Exeter advertised when he opened a coffee-house,
saying :

130 OUR COACHING TRIP.

" It looks like beer,
It smells like beer.
It tastes like beer,
Yet it is not beer."

Better if it had been, your reverence, lor your
new beverage was probably a villainous compound,
certain to work more injury than genuine beer. In
this country we also try to cheat the devil. I mean
our unco good people try it ; but we call it " bitters,"
and the worse the whiskey the better the bitters.

Chorley, July 7.

As we approached Anderton Hall the English and
American flags were seen floating from the archway,
earnest of cordial welcome. We were quite at home
immediately. Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs had their
family and friends ready to greet us. The dining-
hall was decorated with the flags of the old and the
new lands, gracefully intertwined, symbolizing the
close and warm friendship which exists between
them — never, we hope, to be again disturbed. We
had a long walk about the place and on the banks of
the famous Rivington Reservoir, which supplies
Manchester with water. In the evening, after dinner,
came speeches. The evening passed delightfully.
Next day we were sorely tempted, Mr. Middleton
was to have the school -children at his house to be
entertained, and an opportunity to see a novel cele-
bration was afforded us. Our host and hostess were
pressing in their invitation for us to stay, but one
night of fourteen guests, two servants, and four
horses, was surely enough ; so we blew our horn,
and, with three ringing cheers for Anderton Hall and

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 13 ^

all within it, drove out of its hospitable gates. We
stopped and paid our respects to Mr. and jNIrs. Mid-
dleton as we passed their place, and left them all
with very sincere regret. How pleasant it would
be to linger, but Inverness lies far in the north. We
are scarcely one-third of our way thither and the
time-table stares us in the face. We do not quite
"fold our tents like the Arabs and silently steal
away," but at the thrilling call of the horn we
mount, and with cheers and God-speeds take our de-
parture for other scenes.

Preston, July 8.
Preston, sixteen miles away, is our destination,
permitting a late start to be made. Our I'oute is still
throuofh a manufacturing: district, for Manchester
reaches her arms far out in every direction. We
pass ever}^ now and then a company of show-people
with their vans. Sometimes we find the caravan at
rest, the old, weary-looking horses nibbling the road-
side grass, for the irregular-ity of the hedges in Eng-
land gives fine little plots of grass along the hedge-
rows, and nice offsets, as it were, in the road, where
these strolling j^layers, and gypsies, peddlers, and
itinerant venders of all sorts of queer things, can call
a halt and enjoy themselves. Every van appears to
be invested with an air of mvstery, for was not our
Shakesi)eare,

" Th' applause, delight, the wonder of our stage,"

a strolling player, plaj-ing his part in barns and
outhouses to wondering rustics ? There are such
possibilities in every van that I greet the sweet little

132 OUR COACHING TRIP.

child as if she were a princess in disguise, and the
dark-eyed, foreign-looking boy as if he might have
Avithin him the soul of Buddha. I do not believe
that any other form of life has the attractions of this
nomadic existence. To make it perfect one should
put away enough in the funds as a reserve to be
drawn upon when he could not make the pittance
necessary to feed and clothe him and buy a few old
copies of good books as he passed through a village.
The rule might be, only when hungry shall this
pocketbook be opened. I should have one other
contingency in order to be perfectly happy— when
I wanted to help a companion in distress. Elia
was truly not very far from it. If I were not the in-
dependent gentleman I am, I would be a member of
a strolling band such as we pass in this crowded land
every nov^/ and then, and boast that Shakespeare was
of our profession. What are the Charioteers after
all in their happiest dream but aristocratic gypsies ?
That is the reason we are so enraptured with the life.
But in Preston there is no scope for idealism. It
is a city where cotton is king. No town can be much
less attractive ; but, mark you, a few steps toward the
river and you overlook one of the prettiest parks in
the world. The Ribble runs at the foot of the slop-
ing hill upon which the city stands, and its banks
have been converted into the pleasure-ground I
speak of, in which the toilers sport in thousands
and gaze upon the sweet fields of living green be-
yond far into the country. It is not so bad when
the entire district is not given over to manufactures,
as in Birmingham and Manchester. There is the
cloud, but there is the silver lining- also.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 133

At Preston many of iis received letters from
home. Harry's funny one from his little daughter
Emma (a namesake of our Emma of the Chariot-
eers) gave us a good laugh. 1 remember there was
one announcement particularly noteworthy : " Nine-
ty dollars gone to smash, papa. The pony's dead."
There is your future special correspondent for you.

At eleven o'clock this evening the party received
a notable addition — Andrew Martin, my old school-
fellow and " the Maester's son," arrived from Dun-
fermline. He was received at the station by a
committee especially appointed for the purpose, and
shortly thereafter duly initiated into all the rites
and mysteries of the Gav Charioteers. He was
required, late as it was, to sing two Scotch songs
to determine his eligibility. There ma)' be some
man who can sing " Oh ! \\\\)- left I my hame ?" —
my favorite at present, and written by GilfiUan in
Dunfermline, note that — or " When the kye come
hame," better than our new member, but none of us
has been so fortunate as to meet him, nor have I
ever heard one who could sing them as well for me ;
but there may be a touch of Aukl Lang Syne in his
voice which strikes chords in my heart and sets them
vibrating. There are subtle sympathies lurking
in the core of man's nature, responsive to no law
but their own, but I notice all press Andrew to sing,
and keep \Q.\-y (juiet wlicn he does. We had the
pleasure of seeing the new member get just as daft
as the rest of us next day, gathering wild flowers
along the hedgerows, the glittering, towering coach
coming up to us. He had time to say : " Man,
this canna be t'trtz bad for us !" No, not very ; only

134 OUR COACHING TRIP

we did not know then how bad it would be for us
when, after the dream-like existence had passed and
we were back once more to our labors of this work-
aday world, thrown out as it were from a paradise
and falling' as Milton's Satan fell.

Fortunately we did not know then that for months
after our fall there were to be only sad memories of
days of happiness so unalloyed that they can never
again be equalled. It is not at all desirable to be
honestly persuaded that you nev^er again can have
seven weeks of such days as made us happy, innocent
children ; but we shall see. There are as good f^sh
in the sea as were ever caught, and though it is true
they do not seem to bite as they used to, maj^be we
can venture to try coaching again. The height of
our musical season was during this part of the jour-
ney. Miss Reid, Miss Johns, and Mrs. King are all
musical and blessed with the power of song. Messrs.
Martin, McCargo, and King differ only as one star
differs from another in glory ; and there was another
gentleman, who shall be nameless, who sang without
being asked, and who, as usual, was not encored by
his unappreciative audience.

Davie deserves notice. He sang a beautiful
Scotch song to-day, " Cowden Knowes," and when
he was done Andrew immediately asked : " Whaur
did ye get that ? Ye didna get that out of a book !"

Right, my boy. It was at his father's knee. Who
ever learnt a Scotch song out of books ? They are
possessed of souls, these songs, to be caught only
from living lips. The bodies alone are to be found
within the bars.

Passing Bolton we saw the first bowling green,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 135

sure proof that we are getting- northward, where
every village has its green and its bowling elub,
the ancient game of bowls still offering to rural
England attractions paramount to more modern
sports.

We lunched at Grisdalebrook, ten miles from
Lancaster, which was to be our stopping-place. To-
day's drive was made fragrant by the scent of new-
mown hay, and we passed many bands of merry
Ipaymakers. When Dickens pronounced no smell
the best smell, he must have momentarily forgotten
that which so dehghted us. I do give up most of
the so-called fine smells, but there are a few better
than Dickens's best, and surely that of to-day is of
them. We went into a Catholic church in one of
our strolls, for let it be remembered many a glori-
ous tramp we had, and the coach was rarely hon-
ored with all the party when a chance to walk pre-
sented itself. The requests posted upon the door of
this church seemed to carry one back a long wa)- :

"Of your charity pray for tlie soul of Rebecca Robinson, who
died June 7th, 1880, fortified with rites of Holy Church, on whose
soul sweet Jesus have iTiercy. R. I. P."

There were several such requests. What a power
that church has been and is only one who has trav-
elled the w^orld round can know. In England here
it is but a sickly, foreign i)lant, so fearfully foreign.
We can all repeat Buddha's words and apply them
to it, but they should not stop here :

" And third came she who gives dark creeds their power.
Silabbat-paramasa, sorceress.
Draped fair in many lands as lowly Faith,
But ever juggling souls with rites and prayers ;

136 OUR COACHING TRIP.

The keeper of those keys which lock up Hells
And open Heavens. 'Wilt thou dare?' she said,
' Put by our sacred books, dethrone our gods.
Unpeople all the temples, shaking down
That law which feeds the priests and props the realm ?'
But Buddha answered, 'What thou bidd'st me keep
Is form which passes, but the free truth stands ;
Get thee unto thy darkness.' "

Lancaster, July 9-10.

We had done our twenty-nine miles from Preston
and reached Lancaster in good season. There we
had a treat. The High Sheriff for the county had
just been elected and made his entry into town ac-
cording to immemorial custom. He represents roy-
alty in the county during his term of office, which I
believe is only two years. It costs the recipient of
the honor a large sum to maintain the dignities of
the ofhce, for its emoluments are nil. The sheriff was
staying at our hotel, a very fine one. The County.
He is wakened every morning by two heralds richly
dressed in the olden style and bearing halberds.
They stand in front of the hotel and sound their .
buofles to call His Highness forth. It is the Lord
Mayor's procession on a small scale. Nobody laughs
outright at the curious mixture of feudal customs
with this age's requirements, however much every-
body may laugh in his sleeve ; but England will have
lost some picturesque features when all the shams
are gone. If mankind were not greatly influenced
by forms, I could wish that just enough of the " good
old times" — which were very bad times indeed —
could be preserved, if only to prove how far we had

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 137

outgrown them; but every "form and every sham,
from royalty downward, carries its good or evil with
it. That not only the substance should be right, but
that the form should correspond truly to it, is to the
last degree important; so I reconcile myself to the
passing away of forms which no longer honestly rep-
resent what they imply.

Lancaster is a beautiful place and noted for its
admirable charitable institutions. The lunatic asy-
lum and an orphanage attracted our special attention.
These and kindred institutions abound in England,
and are ably conducted. Rich Englishmen do not
leave their fortunes for uses of this kind as often as
Americans do. The ambition to found a family, and
the maintenance of an aristocratic class by means of
primogeniture and entail, tend to divert fortunes
from this nobler path into the meaner end of elevating
a name in the social scale ; but the general public in
Britain is most generous, and immense sums in the
aggregate arc annually collected for charitable insti-
tutions. It is common for a class to support its
own unfortunates. The commercial travellers, for
instance, have an extensive home near London for
children of their fellows and for members in their
old age.

One cannot travel far in Britain without seeing
that the British arc a people most mindful of the un-
fortunate. These pretty homes of refuge and of
rest we see scattered everywhere over the land, nor
are they the least glorious of the many monuments
of England's true worth.

A Mr. Ripley left his fortune for an orphanage,
open to all orphan children born within hftcen miles

138 OUR COACHING TRIP.

of Lancaster. Three hundred are now provided for,
but so rapidly has the fund grown that it has been
found practicable to extend the boundaries of its be-
neficence, and children from distant Liverpool are
now admitted. Bravo ! Mr. Ripley. What is an earl-
dom for your eldest son to this ! His father's name
will carry him farther with the best, and he should
be prouder of it. Show me the earl who has done
as much for his neighborhood.

Lancaster Castle is a noble one ; its gateway is not
surpassed. Here John o' Gaunt hundreds of years
ago put his finger upon the dire root of England's
woes, as far as the land goes :

" This dear, dead land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out."

There 3'ou have it — this England is leased out.
The soil is not worked by its owners, and never, till
England changes its practice and can boast a peas-
ant proprietary working its own acres in small farms,
untrammelled by vicious laws, will she know what
miracles can be wrought by those who call each lit-
tle spot their own — their home. Englishmen are
slow to change, but the day is not far distant when
ownership of land will depend upon residence on it
and its proper cultivation. Denmark's example will
be followed. Cumulative taxes will be levied upon
each number of acres beyond a minimum number,
and large proprietors taxed out of existence as they
have been in Denmark, to the country's good and
nobody's injury. We tax a man who keeps racing-
horses or who sports armorial bearings. It is the
same principle : we can tax a man who keeps a larger

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 139

amount of land than he can work to the State's ad-
vantage. The rights of property are all very well
in their place, but the rights of man and thfe good of
the commonwealth are far beyond them. I wish
England would just let me arrange that little land
matter for her. It would save her a generation of
agitation.

Sunday was spent in Lancaster, and much en-
joyed. The service in church was fine and the after-
noon's excursion to the country delightful. Here
Miss Amelia Bantock and Mr. Dickinson left us after
receiving the blessing of the party. Miss Graham
and Miss Dickinson, who were to join us here,
failed us, but we fortunately found them waiting at
Kendall. We started for that town, twenty-two
miles distant, on Monday morning. It is the en-
trance to the celebrated Lake District. Messrs. Thorn
and Middleton, whom we had met at Anderton Hall,
passed us before we reached Lancaster on Saturday,
on bicycles. They were out for a run of a hundred
and five miles that day, to visit friends beyond that
city. We meet such travellers often. Their club
now numbers sev^en thousand members. For an an-
nual payment of half a crown (62 cents), a member
has lists of routes and hotels sent him for any de-
sired district, with the advantage of reduced charges.
It is nothing to do a hundred miles per clay ; many
have done London to Bath, two hundred miles,
within the twenty-four hours.

The country swarms with these fellows. I saw
fifteen hundred in Bushy Park one day at a meet.
I think seventy-five clubs were there, each in a
different uniform. Bicycles are also growing in use

14° OUR COACHING TRIP.

for practical purposes, and many post-routes in the
country are served by men who use these machines.
But it tal*es roads like the English, and a level coun-
try, to do much with them.

Our evening was spent in visiting the ruined cas-
tle and admiring a pretty Japanese kind of garden,
so much in so little space, which attracted our atten-
tion as we passed. The owner, Mr.. Thompson, a
solicitor, kindly invited us in, and afterward showed
us his house. We are always receiving kindnesses
from all sorts and conditions of men.

Next day, July 12th, our objective point was
Grassmere, eighteen miles away. Such a lovely
morning ! but, indeed, we are favored beyond meas-
ure with superb weather all the time. This stage in
our progress introduced us to the scenery of the lakes,
and we all felt that it deserved its Wordsworth ; but
were we ever to let loose and enter the descriptive,
where would it lead ? This is the rock upon which
many a fair venture in story-telling has suffered ship-
wreck. Great mountains always carr}* one upward,
but these are not great, nor is there anything great
in the region. All is very sweet and pleasing and
has its own peculiar charm, like the school of Lake
Poets.

At Bowness, about midway of the lake, we left the
coach for the first time for any other kind of con-
veyance. After enjoying a rare treat in a sail up
and down the lake in the pretty steamer, we rejoined
the coach at Ambleside, where we had ordered it to
await us.

Passing Storr's Hall, the mind wandered back to
the meeting there of Wordsworth, Southey, Cole-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 141

ridge, Christopher North, and greater than all, our
Walter Scott ; and surel}'^ not in all the earth could a
fitter spot than this have been found for their gath-
ering. How much the world of to-day owes to the
few names who spent da3^s together here ! Not often
can you say of one little house, " Here had we our
country's honor roofed," to so great an extent
as it would be quite allowable to say in this in-
stance. But see the vanity of human aspirations!
If there was one wish dearer than another to the
ofreatest of these men, it was that Abbotsford should
remain from generation to generation the home of
his race. This very hour, while sa.iling on the
lake, a newspaper was handed to me, and my
eye caught the advertisement, " Abbotsford to
let," followed by the stereotyped description, so
many reception-rooms, nursery, outbuildings, and
offices, suitable for a gentleman's establishment.
Shade of the mighty Wizard of the North, has it come
to this ! Oh, the pity of it ! the pity of it ! Well
for your fame that vou built ior mankind other than
this statel}^ home of your pride. It will crumble and
pass utterh' away long before the humble cot of
Jeannie Deans shall fade Irom the memory of man.
The time will come when the greatest will be as
much forgot

" As the canoe that crossed a lonely lake
A thousand years ago."

But even the New Zealander who stands on the

ruins of London Bridge will knovv something of

Walter Scott if he knows much worth knowing.

" Abbotsford to let !" This to come to me just as we

10

142 OUR COACHING TRIP.

were passing one of the haunts of Scott, than whom
no greater Scot ever hv^ed save one. Fortunately
no such blow is possible for the memory of Burns.

" Afterlife's fitful fever, he sleeps well ;
Treason has done his worst : nor steel, nor poison,

Malice domestic, nothing.

Can touch him further!"

For this let us be thankful. We visited Words-
worth's grave reverently in the twilight. Fresh,
very fresh flowers lay upon it. God bless the hand
that strewed them there this day ! I think the follow-
ing the one very great thing he gave the world :
It contains "the golden guess which ever is the
morning star to the full round of truth." The
thought of the age— whether right or wrong we
need not discuss — is hitherward :

" For I have learned
To look on Nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth ; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity.
Not harsh nor grating, though of ample power
lo chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts : a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused.
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man
A motion and a spirit that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things."

There's a platform upon which this sceptical age
may eventually stand. It is not materialistic and it
is not dogmatic ; perhaps it is the golden mean be-
tween extremes. I commend its teachings to both

BRIGHTON rO INVERNESS. I43

sides of the cocksure disputants, one of whom
knows it is all just so, and the other as presumptu-
ously knows there is nothing to know. Let them
shake hands and await patiently the coming of
clearer light, and get together in solid work here.
Surely there is enough to keep them busy. We stilJ
" see through a glass darkly."

We spent our night at Grassmerc, and had a fine
row upon the lake.

Grassmere, July 13.
" Right, Perry !" Off for Keswick, only twelve
miles distant ; but who wants to hurry away from
scenes like these ? It rained heavily through the
niofht, but is errand for us this morning. The mist
was on the mountains though, and the clouds passed
slowly over them, wrapping the tops in their mantle.
The numerous rills dashing down the bare mountains
were the themes of much praise. They reminded
me of two fine verses from the " Light of Asia" upon
" Being's ceaseless tide " :

" Wliich, ever-changing, runs, linked like a river

By ripples following ripples, fast or slow —
The same, )-et not the same — from far-off fountains

To where its waters flow
Into the seas. These, steaming to the sun.

Give the lost wavelets back in c'oudy fleece
To trickle down the hills, and glide again ;

Knowing no pause or peace,"

W^e seem to be miraculously protected from rain.
Many times it has poured during the night, and yet
the days have been perfect. " Carnegie weather"
begins to be talked about, and wc are all disposed to
accept the inference that tiic fair goddess Fortune

144 OUR COACHING TRIP.

has fallen deep in love with us, since Prosperity
seems to be our page during- this journey.

The influence of America and of American ideas
upon England is seen in various ways. We meet
frequently one who has visited the Republic, whose
advanced ideas, in consequence of the knowledge de-
rived from actual contact with American affairs, are
very decidedlv proclaimed. The coaches in the Lake
District have now the English and the American
flags upon their sides, and we often see the Stars
and Stripes displayed at hotels. Our present hos-
telry has a flaming advertisement ending with :
" Patrons — Royalty and American Presidents."
There must be slender grounds for both claims,
I fancy. General Gi'ant, however, may have been
there. As the elected of the largest division of
the English-speaking race, he no doubt outranked
all other patrons.

At luncheon to-day it was found that our drink-
ables had better be cooled in the brook — an unusual
performance this for England ; but how vividly this
little incident brings to mind the happy scene — the
row of bottles in the stream, sticking up their tiny
heads as if resentful at the extraordinary bath. Do
not imagine that our party were worse to water than
to corn ; sixteen hungry people need a good many
bottles of various kinds, for we had man}^ tastes to
gratify. We were all temperance people, however —
a few of us even total abstinence, who required spe-
cial attention.

At Keswick I wandered round the principal
square and laughed at the curious names of the
inns there. In this region inns abound. Almost

BRIGIITOM TO INVERNESS. 145

every house in that square offered entertainment
for man and beast. Here is a true copy of names
of inns noted in a few squares in the village :
Fighting Cocks, Packhorse, Red Lion, Dog and
Duck, Black Lion, Deerhound, White Hart, Green
Lion, Pig and Whistle, White Lion, Black Bulk
Elephant and Castle, Lamb and Lark, The Fish.
If the whole village were scanned there would be
beasts enough commemorated in its inns to make a
respectable menagerie. Indeed, for that one Green
Lion, Barnum might safely pay more than for Jumbo.
The names of English inns we have seen else-
where are equally odd; let me note a few : Hen and
Chickens, Dog and Doublet, King and Crown, Hole
in the Wall, Struggling Man, Jonah and the Ark,
Angel and Woolsack, Adam and Eve, Rose and
Crown, Crown and Cushion. We laughed at one
with an old-fashioned swinging sign, upon which a
groom was scrubbing away at a naked black man
(you could almost hear his pruss, pruss, pruss).
The name of the house was " Labor in Vain Inn" — a
perfect illustration, no doubt, in one sense ; in the
higher sense, not so. Under the purifying influences
of equality, found only in republican institutions,
America has taught the world she can soon make
white men out of black. Her effort to change the
slave into a freeman has been anything but labor in
vain ; what is under the skin can be made white
enough always, if we go at it with the right brush.
None genuine unless stamped with the well-known
brand "Republic." "All men arc born free and
equaV' warranted to cure the most desperate cases
when all other panaceas fail, from a mild monarch}'

146 OUR COACHING TRIP.

up to a German despotism. To be well shaken,
however, before taken, and applied internally, exter-
nally, and eternally, like Colonel Sellers' eye-wash.
Harry and I were absent part of this day, having
run down to Workington to see our friend Mr.
Gardiner, at the Steel Rail Mills. Pardon us ! —
this was our onl}^ taste of business during the trip ;
never had the affairs of this world, or of any other
for that matter, been so completely banished from
our thoughts. To get back to blast-furnaces and
rolling-mills was distressing ; but we could not well
pass our friend's door, so to speak. We have noth-
ing to say about manufacturing, for it is just with that
as with their political institutions : England keeps
about a generation behind, and yet deludes herself
with the idea that she is a leader among nations.
The truth is she is not even a good follower where
others lead, but exceptions must be noted here : a
few of her ablest men are not behind America in
manufacturing, for there are one, or perhaps two,
establishments in Ena^land which lead America. A
great race is the British when they do go to work
and get rid of their antiquated prejudices. Visitors
to America like Messrs. Howard, Lothian Bell, Wind-
sor Richards, Martin, and others, have no preju-
dices which stick. Let Uncle Sam look out. If he
thinks John Bull will remain behind in the industrial
or the political race either, I do not ; and I believe
when he sets to work in earnest he cannot be
beaten. The Republic of England, when it comes,
will excel all other republics as much as the English
monarchy has excelled all other monarchies, or as
much as Windsor Richards' steel practice and plant

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 147

excel any we can boast of here at present. It is our
turn now to take a step forward, unless we are con-
tent to be beaten. This is all right. Long may the
two branches of the family stimulate each other to
further triumphs, the elder encouraging- us to hold
fast that which is good, the younger' pointing the
way upward and onward — a race in which neither
can lose, but in which both must win ! Clear the
course ! Fair play and victory to both !

The annual public debate of University College,
London, attracted our notice to-day before leaving
Kendal. The subject debated was : " That the ad-
vance of Democracy in England will tend to
strengthen the Foundations of Society."

Lord Rosebery presided, and it is his speech at
the close which possesses political significance a?
coming from one who wears his rank

" For the sake of liberal uses
And of great things to be done,"

and of whom almost any destiny may be predicted if
he hold the true course. He said :

" As regards government, there seemed to be
great advantage in democracy. With an oligarchy
the responsibility was too great and the penalty for
failure too high. He did not share the asperity
manifested by one .of the speakers against American
institutions, and, having visited the country on sev-
eral occasions, he felt the greatest warmth for Amer-
ica and the American people. Persons who elect-
ed by free choice a moderate intellect to represent
them were better off than those who had a leviathan
intellect placed over them against their will, and this
free choice the people of the United States possessed.

148 OUR COACHING TRIP.

It had been said by the opponents of democracy
that the best men in America devoted themselves
to money-getting ; but this was a strong argument
in its favor, as showing that democracy was not
correctly represented as a kind of grabbing at the
property of others." -

Never were truer words spoken than these, my
lord. What a pity vou were not allowed the privi-
lege of starting "at scratch" in life's race, like
Gladstone or Disraeli. From any success achieved
there must be made the just deduction for so many
yards allowed Lord Rosebery. Receive the sincere
condolences of him who welcomed you to honorary
membership of the Burns Club of New York — not
because of these unfortunate, unfair disadvantages,
for he would not have welcomed a prince for his
rank, but for 3^our merits as a man.

We reached Penrith July 14th, after a delightful
day's drive. Never were the Gay Charioteers hap-
pier, for the hilly ground gave us many opportunities
for grand walks. When these come it is a red-letter
day. The pleasure of walking should rank as one of
the seven distinct pleasures of existence, and yet I
have some friends who know nothing of them ; they
are not coaching through England, however.

I have omitted to chronicle the change that came
over the Queen Dowager shortly after we started
from Wolverhampton; till then she had kept the seat
of honor next to Perry, inviting one after another as
a special honor to sit in front with her. She soon
discovered that a good deal of the fun going on was
missed ; besides, she had not all of us under her eye.
^ler seat was exchanged for the middle of the back

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 149

form, where she was supported by one on each side,
while four others had their faces turned to hers,
giving an audience of no less than six for her stories
and old ballads. Her tongue went from morning till
night, if I do say it, and her end of the coach was
always in for its share of any frolic stirring. She
was "in a gale" all day to-day, and kept us all
roaring.

Penrith, July 14.

Our next stage would take us to Carlisle, the
border-town behind which lay the sacred soil. Mr.
Burroughs and his son joined us here and went on
with us the last day upon English soil, waving adieu,
as it were, as we plunged into Scotland. Mr. and
Mrs. King left us for Paisley to see the children,
and what a loss I here record no one but the mem-
bers can possibly understand. Aaleck and Aggie
gone ! If anything could long dampen the joyous
spirits of the party, this separation surely would
have done it ; but we were to meet again in Edin-
burgh, where the reconstruction of the Charioteers
was to take place. At Carlisle, too, the Parisians
were to be welcomed back again — -plenty to look
forward to, you see. We started for Carlisle July
15th, the day superb as usual.

We had left the Lake District,, with its hills and
flowing streams, to pass through a tamer land ; but
ourlunciieon to-day, in a field near " Ilesketh in the
Forest," was not unromantic. The members from
Anderton Hall caught the fever, as was usual with
neophytes, and regretted that their return was im-
peratively required. One day gave them a taste of
tiic true gypsy life.

I50 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Carlisle, July 15.

Here is reconstruction for you with a vengeance !
First, let us mourn the unhappy departures : Mr.
and Mrs. King- went yesterday, and Miss Reid, Miss
Graham, the Misses Bantock, Miss Dickinson, and
Mr. Burroughs and son go to-day. Cousin Maggie,
who had become absorbed in this kind of life, so
dazed with happiness, her turn has come too, even
she must go ; Andrew Martin, with his fine Scotch
aroma and his songs, must report to his superior
officer at the encampment, for is he not a gallant
volunteer and an officer under Her Majest3^ " sworn
never to desert his home except in case of in-
vasion" ! Well, we cannot help these miserable
changes in this world, nor the " sawt, sawt tears " of
the young ladies as they kiss each other, swearing
eternal friendship, and sob good-byes.

But if farewell ever sighs, welcome comes in
smiling. Look ! Cousin Eliza in my arms and a
warm kiss taken !' That is the very best of conso-
lation. Clever, artistic Miss Roxburgh, too, from
Edinburgh ; and then are we not to have our four
originals back again, after two long weeks' absence !
It was a fortunate thing that our sad farewells were
so promptly followed by smiling welcomes.

Do any people love their country as passionately
as the Scotch ? I mean the earth of it, the very
atoms of which its hills and glens are composed. I
doubt it. Now here is Maggie, a douse, quick,
sensible girl. I tried to say something cheery to her
to-day as we were approaching Carlisle, where we
were to part, reminding her jokingly that she had
received five weeks' coaching while her poor sister

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 151

Eliza would have only two. "Ah! but she has
Scotland, Naig !" " Do you really mean to tell me
that you would rather have two weeks in your own
country than five weeks seeing a hew land, and that
land England, with London and Brighton, and the
lakes and all ?" I just wish you could have seen and
heard how the "Of course" came in reply. The
Scotch always have Scotland first in their hearts,
and some of them, I really believe, will get into
trouble criticising Paradise if it be found to differ
materially from Scotland.

To-morrow we are to enter that land of lands.
Fair England, farewell ! How graciously kind has
been the reception accorded b^ you to the wan-
derers ! Flow beautiful you are ! how tenderl}^ dear
you have become to all of us ! Not one of us but
can close our eyes and revel in such quiet beauty
as never before was ours.

" Not a grand nature ...

On English ground
You understand the letter . . . ere the fall
How Adam lived in a garden. All the fields
Are tied up fast with hedges, nosegay like ;
The hills are crumpled plains — the plains pastures,
And if you seei< for any wilderness
You find at best a park. A nature
Tamed and grown domestic . . .
A sweet familiar nature, stealing in
As a dog might, or child, to touch your hand,
Or pluck your gown, and humbly mind you so
Of presence and afiection."

" There is no farewell to scenes like thine."
From the depths of every heart in our company
comes the trembling " God bless you, England I"

OUR COACHING TRIP.

SCOTLAND.

" Awa}--, ye gay landscapes, ye gardens of roses !

In you let the minions of luxury rove ;
Restore me the rocks where the snovvflake reposes,

Thougli still they are sacred to freedom and love :
Yet, Caledonia, beloved are thy mountains,

Round their white summits though elements war ;
Though cataracts foam 'stead of smooth flowing fountains,

I sigh for the valley of dark Loch na Garr."

It was on Saturday, July i6th, that we went over
the border, Mr. Wilson, the coach-owner, going with
us, on his way to his native town.

The bridge across the boundary-line was soon
reached. When midway over a halt was called, and
vent given to our enthusiasm. With three cheers
for the land of the heather, shouts of " Scotland for-
ever," and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs, we
dashed across the border. And, oh Scotland, my
own, my native land, your exiled son returns with
love for you as ardent as ever warmed the heart of
man for his country. It's a God's mercy I was born
a Scotchman, for I do not see how I could ever
have been contented to be anything else. The little
plucky dour deevil, set in her own ways and getting
them too, level-headed and shrewd, ^vith an eye to
the main chance always and yet so lovingly weak,
so fond, so led away by song or storj-, so easily
touched to fine issues, so leal, so true ! Ah ! you
suit me, Scotia, and proud am I that I am your son.

We stopped at Gretna Green, of course, and
walked to the site of the famous blacksmith-shop,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 153

where so many romantic pairs have been duly joined
in the holy bonds of wedlock. A wee laddie acted
as guide, and from him we had our first real broad
Scotch. His dialect was perfect. He brought wee
Davie to mind at •once. I offered him a shilling if
he could " screed me aff effectual calling." He knew
his catechism, but he could not understand it.
Never mind that, Davie, that is another matter.
Older heads than yours have bothered over that
doctrine and never got to the bottom of it. Besides
there will be a " revised edition" of that before you
are a man. Just you let it alone ; it is the understand-
ing of that and some other dogmas of poor ignorant
man's invention that thin the churches of men who
think and " make of sweet religior^ a rhapsody of
words." " But do you ken Burns ?" " Aye," said
Davie, "I ken ' A man's a man for a' that,' and
' Auld Lang S3me.' " " Good for you, Davie, there's
another shilling. Good-bye ! But I say, Davie, if
you can't possibly remember all three of these
pieces, don't let it be ' A man's a man for a' that'
that you forget, for vScotchmen will need to re-
member that one of these days when we begin to set
things to rights in earnest and demand the same right
for prince, peer, and peasant. Don't let it be
* Auld Lang Syne ' either, for there is more of
' Peace and Good-will upon Earth,' the essence
of true religion, in that grand song, than in your
effectual calling, Davie, my wee mannie. At least
there is one who thinks so." Davie got my address,
and said maybe he would come to America when
he grew to be a man. I promised to give him a
chance if he had not forgotten Burns, which is all we

T54 OUR COACHING TRIP.

can do in the republic, where merit is the only road
to success. We may make a Republican out of him
yet, and have him return to his fellows to preach the
equality of man, the sermon Scotland needs.

We lunched at Annan. It was at first decided
that we had better be satisfied with hotel accommoda-
tions, as the day though fine was cool, with that little
nip in the air which gives it the bracing quality ; but
after we had entered the hotel the sun burst forth,
and the longing for the green fields could not be
overcome. We walked through the village across
the river, and found a pretty spot in a grove upon
high ground commanding extensive views up and
down the stream, and there we gave our new mem-
bers their first* luncheon. It would have been a
great pity had we missed this picnic, for it was in
every respect up to the standard. I laugh as I re-
call the difificulties encountered in selecting the fine
site. The committee had fixed upon a tolerably
good location in a field near the river, but this knoll
was in sight, and we were tempted to go to it. We
had gone so far from the hotel where the coach was,
that Perry and Joe had to get a truck to bring the
hampers. I remember seeing them pushing it
across the bridge and up against the wall over which
most of us had' clambered. When mother's turn
came the wall was found to be rather too much for
her, but our managers were versatile. The truck
was brought into requisition, and mother having
mounted upon it was safely drawn from its platform
over the wall. I stood back and could do nothing
for laughter, but mother, who was not to be daunt-
ed, went over amid the cheers of the party. It was

I

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 155

resolved, however, to be a little more circumspect in
future ; wall-climbing at seventy-one has its limits.

Here is the bridge built by that worthy man and
excellent representative of what is best in Scottish
character in lowly life, James Carlyle — an honest
brig destined to stand and never shame the builder.
I remember how proudly Carlyle speaks of his fa-
ther's work. No sham about either the man or his
work, as little as there was in his more famous son.

Many have expressed surprise at Carlyle's Remi-
niscences, at the gnarled, twisted oak they show,
prejudiced here, ill-tempered there. What did such
people expect, I wonder. A poor, reserved, proud
Scotch lad, who had to fight his way against the grim
devils of poverty and neglect, of course he is twisted
and " thrawn "; but a grand, tough oak for all that,
as sound, stanch timber as ever grew, and Scotch
to the core. Did any one take you, Thomas Car-
lyle, for a fine, symmetrical sycamore, or a graceful
clinging vine ? I think the Reminiscences, upon the
whole, a valuable contribution to literature. Nor
has Carlyle suffered in my estimation from knowing
so much of Avhat one might have expected. But will
these critics of a grand individuality be kind enough
to tell us when we shall look upon his like again, or
where is another Jenny Carlyle to come from ? She
is splendid ! The little tot who " blooded a laddie's
nose" with her closed fist and conquered " the lub-
bley jock." This was in her early childhood's days,
and look at her woman's work for Carlyle if you
want a pattern for wives, my young lady friends,
at least as a bachelor pictures wifehood at its best.
The story told of Mr. Black's meeting with Car-

156 ^ OUR COACHING TRIP.

lyle should be true, if it be not. " Oh, Mr. Black,"
exclaimed Carlyle, "I'm glad to see ye, man. I've
read some of yer books ; they're veraamiisin' ; ye ken
Scotch scenery well ; but when are ye goin' to do
some zva7'k, man? " Great work did the old man do
in his day, no doubt ; but they also work who plant
the roses, Thomas, else were we little better than
the beasts of the field. Carlyle did not see this.

Dumfries, July 16-17.
We were at Dumfries for Sunday. We had just
got housed at the hotel and sat down to dinner when
we heard a vehicle stop, and running to the window
saw our anxiously expected Parisians at the door.
Hurrah ! welcome ! welcome ! Once more united,
never to part again till New York was reached ! It
was a happy meeting and there was much to tell upon
both sides, but the coachers evidently had the better
of it. The extreme heat encountered in France had
proved very trying. Jeannie and Ben were tired
out, Mr. and Mrs. McCargo looked somewhat better,
for they had been a few days among Davie's " for-
bears" in the South of Scotland and had recuper-
ated. Jeannie vividly expressed her feehngs thus,
when asked how she had enjoyed Hfe since she
left the Ark: ''Left the Ark! I felt as if I
had been poked out of it like the dove to find
out about the weather, and had found it rough.
When I lose sight of the coach again just let me
know it !" We, on our part, were very glad
to get our pretty little dove back, and promised
that she should never be sent forth from among us

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 157

ae-ain. One becomes confused at Dumfries, there is
SO much to learn. We are upon historic ground in
the fullest sense, and so crowded too with notable
men and events. Bruce slew the Red Comyn here-
in the church of tlie iNIinorite Friars ; Admirable
Crichton, Paul Jones, Allan Cunningham, Carlyle,
Neilson of the Hot Blast, Patterson, founder of the
Bank of England, and Miller of the steamship, are all
of the district ; and still another, a Scotch minister,
was the founder of savings banks. While not forget-
ting to urge his flock to lay up treasures in another
world, he did not fail to impress upon them a like
necessity of putting by a competence for this one,
sensible man ! How many ministers leave behind
them as powerful an agency for the improvement of
the masses as this Dumfries man, the Rev. Mr. Dun-
can, has in savings banks ? All the speculative opin-
ions about the other world which man can indulge in
are as nothing to the acquisition of those good,
sober, steady habits which render possible upon the
part of the wage-receiving class a good deposit in
that minister's savings bank. The Rev. Mr. Dun-
can is my kind of minister, one who works much and
preaches little. There is room fin- more of his kind.
It is to Dumfries we are also indebted for the
steamship, as far as Britain's share in that crowning
triumph is concerned, for upon Dalwinston Lake
Miller used the first paddles turned by steam. The
ofreat magician also has waved his wand over this
district. Ellangowan Castle, Dirk Hatteraick's Cave,
and even Old Mortality himself are all of Dumfries ;
and as for Burns there is more of his best work there
than anywhere else, and there, he lies at rest with the
II

153

OUR COACHING TRIP.

thistle waving over him, fit mourner for Scotland's
greatest son, and of all others the one he would have
chosen. How he loved it ! Think of his lines about
the emblem dear, written while still a boy.

I wanted to stay a week in Dumfries, and I
deemed, myself fortunate to be able to spend Sunday
there. Two Dunfermline gentlemen now resident
there, Messrs. Reid and Alston, were kind enough
to call upoii us and offer their services. This was
thoughtful and pleased me much. Accordingly on
Sunday morning we started with Mr. Reid and did
the town, Maxwelton Braes, Burns's house, and last
his grave. None of us had ever been there before,
and we were glad to make the pilgrimage. Horace
Greeley (how he did worship Burns !) has truly said
that of the thousands who yearly visit Shakes-
peare's birthplace, most are content to engrave their
names with a diamond upon the glass, but few indeed
leave the resting-place of the ploughman without
dropping a tear upon the grave ; for of all men he it
was who nestled closest to the bosom of humanity. It
is true that of all the children of men Burns is the best
beloved. Carlyle knew him well, for he said Burns
was the yEolian harp of nature against which the
rude winds of adversity blew, only to be transmitted
in their passage into heavenly music.

I think these are the two finest things that have
been said about our idol, or about any idol, and I
believe them to be deserved. So did Carljde and
Greeley, for they were not flatterers. Of what other
human being could these two things be truly said ?
I know of none.

Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, are the fortu-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 159

nate owners of Friars Carse estate. They called
upon us Sunday noon, and invited us to dine with
them that evening. A delegation from the party
accepted, and were much pleased with their visit.
Friars Carse is a lovely spot. The winding ^Nith is
seen at its best from the lawn. As we drove past
on Monday t morning ^v^e stopped and enjoyed a
morning visit to our friends, who were exceedingly
kind. Mr. Nelson has earned the grateful remem-
brance of every true lover of Burns by restoring
the heritage and guarding with jealous care every
vestige of one of the half dozen geniuses which the
world will reverence more and more as the years
roll by. Me has wisely taken out the window upon
the panes of which Burns wrote with a diamond,
" Thou whom chance may hitherto lead," one of my
favorites. This is now preserved, to be handed down
as an heirloom in the family, finally to find its place
in some public collection. While we were in the man-
sion a grand-daughter of Annie Laurie actually came
in. I know of no young lady whose grandmother is
so widely and favorably known. We were all startled
to be brought so near to the ideal Annie Laurie of
our dreams. It only shows that the course of true
love never runs smooth when we hear that she did
not marry the poetic lover. Well, maybe she was
happier with a dull country squire. Poets are not
proverbially model husbands ; the better poet, the
worse husband, and the writer of Annie Laurie had
the temperament pretty well developed.

Right, Perry ! We are off for Sanquhar, twcnt}-
eight miles awa); ; the day superb, with a freshness
unknown in the more genial south we are raj)idl3'^

i6o OUR COACHING TRIP. '

leaving behind. What a pretty sight it was to see
Miss Nelson bounding along upon her horse in the
distance, an avant courier leading us to a warm
welcome at her beautiful home ! Would I had been
with hqr on Habeebah ! We spent an hour or two
there, and then with three enthusiastic cheers for
" Friars Carse and a' within it," the Charioteers
drove off ; but long must fond recollections of that
estate and of the faces seen there linger in our mem-
ories as among the most pleasing of our ever-mem-
orable journey. A home upon the Nith near Dum-
fries has many attractions indeed. Our drive to-day
lay along the Nith and through the Duke of Buc-
cleugh's grounds to his noble seat Dfumlanrig Cas-
tle. Here we have a real castle at last, none of your
imported English affairs, as tame as caged tigers.
How poor and insignificant they all seem to such as
this ! You want the moors, the hills and glens, and
all the flavor of feudal institutions to give a castle its
dignity and impress you with the thoughts of by-
gone da)'S. Modern castles in England built to
order are only playthings, toys ; but in Scotland
they are real and stir the chords. You cannot have
in England a glen worthy of the name, with its dark
amber-brown, foaming, rushing torrent dashing
through it. We begin to feel the exhilarating influ-
ences of the north as we drive on, and to understand
its charm. Byron says truly :

" England ! thy beauties are tame and domestic
To one who has roamed on the mountains afar.
Oh, for the crags that are wild and majestic !

The steep frowning glories of dark Loch na Garr."

This was th6 feeling upon the coach to-day. My

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. i6i

eyes watered now and then and my lieart beat faster
as the grandeur of the scenery and the intiuences
around came into play. This was my land, England
only a far-off connection, not one of the family.
"And what do you think of Scotland noo ?" was
often repeated. " The grandest day yet !" was said
more than once as we drove through the glen ; but
this has been said so often during this wonderful ex-
pedition, and has so often been succeeded by a day
which appeared to excel its famous predecessor, that
we are careful now to emphasize the yet ; for indeed
we feel that there is no predicting what glories
Scotland has in store for us beyond.

Our luncheon to-day was taken upon the banks
of the Nith, an exquisitely beautiful spot. There was
no repressing our jubilant spirits that day, and sit-
ting there on Nith's banks the party burst into song,
and one Scotch song followed another. There was
a stransfe stirrinij of the blood, an exaltation of soul
unknown before. The pretty had been left behind,
the sublime was upon us. There was a nip in the
air unfelt in the more o-cnial climate of the south.
The land over which brooded peace *ancl ([uiet con-
tent had been left behind, that of the " mountain and
the flood " was here, whispering of its power, sway-
ing us to and fro and bending us to its mysterious
will. In the sough of the wind comes the call of
the genii to mount to higher heights, that we may
exult in the mysteries of the mountain and the glen,

" The steep frowning glories of dark Loch na Garr."

Even our songs had the wail of the minor key
suggesting the shadows of human life, eras of storm

i62 OUR COACHING TRIP.

and strife, of heroic endurance and of noble sacrifice;
the struggle of an overmatched people contending
for generations against fearful odds and maintaining
through all vicissitudes a distinctively national life.
That is what makes a Scotchman proud of this
peculiar little piece of earth, and stirs his blood and
fills his eyes as he returns to her bosom. I wish
poor Ireland could only fight now as Scotland did
then. There would soon be an end of the Irish
question, for then England \vould as soon attempt
to impose English ideas upon that oppressed land as
she would try to force them upon Scotland, and she
would " as lief face the devil himself" as Scotland
upon such an issue. Na, she must be " strokit canny
wi' the hair," or there will be trouble, mark you !

We rested over Monday night, July i8th, at
Sanquhar, a long one-main-street village, whose little
inn could not accommodate us all, but the people
were kind, and the gentlemen of the party had no
cause to complain of their quarters. It was here
that the minister absolved the Cameronians from
allegiance to " the ungodly king" — a great step.
Those sturdy Cameronians probably knew little of
Shakespeare, but I fancy the speech of that rebel
minister could not have been better ended, or begun
either, than with the outburst of Laertes to another
wicked king :

" I'll not be juggled with :
To hell, allegiance !"

Bravo ! They would not be juggled with King
Charles, neither will their descendants be, if any
king hereafter is ever rash enough to try his " impe-
rial " notions upon them. That day is past, thanks

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. J 63

to that good minister and his Cameronians. I gazed
upon the monument erected to these worthies, and
gratefully remembered what the world owes to
them.

•We stepped into a stationer's shop there and met
a character. One side of the shop was filled with
the publications of the Bible Society, the other with
drugs. " A strange combination this," I remarked.

" Weel, man, no sae bad. Pheseek for the body
an' pheseek for the soul. Castor oil and Bibles no
sae bad."

Harry and I laughed.

"Have you the revised edition here yet?" I
inquired.

" Na, na, the auld thing here. Nane of 3"er new-
fangled editions of the Scripture for us. But I hear
they've shortened the Lord's Prayer. Noo, that's
no a bad thing for them as hae to get up early in the
mornins. "

He was an original, and we left his shop smiling
at his way of putting things. Scotland is the land
of odd characters.

Sanquhar, July 8.
We are off for Old Cumnock, the entire village
seemingly out to see the start. Sanquhar on the
moors does not seem to. have many attractions, but
last evening we had one of our finest walks. There
is, a fine deep glen hid away between the hills, with
a torrent rushing through it, over which bridges
have been thrown. We were temj)tcd to go far up
the glen. The long gloaming faded away into dark-
ness and we had a weird stroll hf)mc. Tt Avas after

164 OUR COACHING TRIP.

ten o'clock when we reached the hotel. This may
be taken as a specimen of our evenings ; there is
always the long walk in the gloaming after dinner,
which may be noted as one of the rare pleasures of
the day.

Our luncheon to-day could not be excelled, and in
some features it was unique. The banks of Douglas
Water was the site chosen. The stream divides, and
a green island seemed so enchanting that the com-
mittee set about planning means to cross to it. The
steps of the coach formed a temporary bridge over
which the ladies were safely conducted, but not
without some danger of a spill. xA.s many as thirty
school children, then enjoj'ing their summer vaca-
tion, followed, and after a while ventured to frater-
nize with us. Such a group of rosy, happy Httle
ones it would be difficult to meet with out of Scot-
land. Children seem to flourish without care in this
climate. The difference between the children of
America and Britain is infinitely greater than that
between the adults of the two countries. Scotch
children learn to pronounce as the English do in the
schools, but in their play the ancient Doric comes
out in full force. It is all broad Scotch yet in con-
versation. This will no doubt change in time, but
it seemed to us that so far they have lost very few
of the Scotch words and none of the accent. We
asked the group to appoint one of their number to
receive some money to buy " sweeties" for the
party. Jeannie Morrison was the lassie proposed
and unanimously chosen. Jeannie was in the sixth
standard. In answer to an inquiry, it was at first
said that no one else of the party was so far ad-

A

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 165

vanced, but a moment's consultation resulted in a
prompt correction, and tlien came : " Aye, Aggie
McDonald is too." But not one of the laddies was
beyond the fifth. Well, the women of Scotland
alwaj^s were superior to the men. If a workingman
i'n Scotland does not get a clever managing wife (they
are helpmeets there), he never amounts to anything,
and many a stupid man pulls up well through the
efforts of his wife. It is much the same as in
France.

The shyness of these children surprised our
Americans much. They could scarcely be induced
to partake of cakes and jelly, which must be rare
delicacies with them. I created a laugh by insisting
that even after I had been in America several years
I was as shy as any of these children. My friends
were apparently indisposed to accept such an as-
sertion entirely, but an appeal to Davie satisfied
them of mv modesty in early youth. " AJi, tJieii !''
said Miss Maud. But this was cruel. I can safely
appeal to Robert Pitcairn, even if he is a great rail-
way magnate now, whether he has not a grudge yet
for a dinner I made him lose when he was ravenous
(as indeed I was myself), because I could not be in-
duced to eat in a strange house. Mrs. Franciscus
knows too, and often speaks of it, that I was the
sh)'est boy she ever had to coax into feeling at
home.

We left some rare morsels for these children
when they had done cheering us at our departure.
I warrant they " were nae blate." The dear little
innocent, happy things ! I wish I could get among
them again. What would not one give to get a

1 66 OUR COACHING TRIP.

fresh start, to be put back a child again, that he
might make such a record as seems possible when
looking backward. How many things he would do
that he did not do, how many he would not do that
he did do ! I sympathize with Faust, the offer was
too tempting to be successfully withstood. It
always seems to me that parents and others having
charofe of children mio;-ht do more than is done to
teach them the only means of making life worth liv-
ing, and to point out to them the rocks and eddies
from which they themselves have suffered damage
in life's passage.

With the cheers of the children rinofins^ in our
ears we started on our way. While stopping at the
inn to return what had been lent us in the way of bas-
kets, pitchers, etc., a lady drove up in a stylish phae-
ton, and, excusing herself for intruding, said that a
coach was so rarely seen in those parts she could
not resist asking who we were and whither bound,
fgave her all desired information, and asked her to
please gratify our ladies by telling in return who
she was. " Lady Stuart Monteith," was the repl}^
She was of the Monteiths of Closeburn Castle,
as we learned from Mr. Murray, our landlord at
Cumnock. The estate will go at her death to a
nephew who is farming in America. We thought
there must be some good reason why he did not re-
turn and manage for his aunt, who indeed seems
well qualified to manage for herself. The young
exiled heir had our sympathv, but long may it be
ere he enters upon Closeburn, for we were all heart-
ily in favor of a long and happy reign to the pres-
ent ruler of that beautiful estate. Lady Monteith

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 167

assured us that we would be well taken care of at
the Dumfries Arms, and she was right. Mr. Murray
and his handsome sisters will long be remembered
as model hotel-keepers. They made our stay most
agreeable. Mr. Murray took us to the Bowling
Green in the evening, and many of our party saw the
game for the first time. Great excitement prevails
when the sides are evenly matched. It is like the
curling pond, a perfect republic. There is no rank
upon the ice or upon the green. The postman will
berate the provost for bad play at bowls, but touch
his hat respectfully to him on the pavement. A man
may be even a provost and yet not up to giving them
a " Yankee " when called for. We were curious to
know what a " Yankee " shot was, for we heard it
called for by the captains every now and then. We
were told that this was a shot which " knocked all
before it, and played the very deevil. " That is not
bad.

While a few of us who had recently seen the land
of Burns remained at Cumnock, the remainder of the
party drove to Ayr and saw all the sights there and
returned "in the evening. Our walks about Cumnock
were delightful, and we left Mr. Murray's care with
sincere regret. Mr. Wilson was upon his native
heath here and did all lie could to make our stay
pleasant.

Old Cumnock, Jul}' 19.
Passing out of the town this morning, we stopped
at the prettiest little photographic establishment we
had ever seen, and the artist succeeded in taking ex-
cellent views of the coach and party. It was done

1 68 OUR COACHING TRIP.

in an instant ; we were taken ere we were aware.
A great thing, that new process ; one has not time
to look his very worst, as sitters usually contrive to
do, ladies especially.

" Right, Perry ! " and off we drove through the
crowd for Douglas. The general manager soon
confided to me that for the first time he was dubious
about our resting-place. A telegram had been re-
ceived by him from the landlord at Douglas just be-
fore starting, stating that his inn was full to over-
flowing with officers of the volunteer regiment en-
camped there, and that it was simply impossible for
him to provide for our party. What was to be done ?
It was decided to inform that important personage,
mine host, that we were moving upon him, and that
if he gave no quarters we should give none either.
He must billet us somewhere ; if not, then

" A night in Greenwood spent
Were but to morrow's merriment."

But we felt quite sure that the town of Douglas
would in council a*ssembled extend a warm welcome
to the Americans and see us safely housed, even if
there was not a hotel in the place. So on we went.
While passing through Lugar, a pretty young miss
ran out of the telegraph office, and holding up both
hands, called : " Stop ! It's no aff yet ! it's no aff
yet !" A message was coming for the coaching
party. It proved to be from our Douglas landlord,
saying. All right ! he would do the best he could for
us. When the party was informed how much we
had been trusting in providence for the past few
hours, such was their enthusiasm that some disap-

BRIGFITON TO INVERNESS. 169

poinlment was expressed at the assuring' character of
the telegram. To not know where we were going,
to be all night — maybe to have to lie in and on the
coach — would have been such fun ! " But behind
yon hill where Lugar flows," sung by Eliza, sounded
none the less sweet when we knew we were not likely
to have to camp out upon its pretty banks. It is
essential for successful happy coaching with ladies
that every comfort should be provided. I am satis-
fied it would never do to risk the weaker sex coach-
ing in any other land. The extreme comfort of
everything here alone keeps them well and able to
stand the gypsy life. We travelled most of the day
through the ore lands and among the blast furnaces
of the Scotch pig-iron kings, the Bairds. It is not
so many years since I raised a laugh at Mr. White-
law's table in London by predicting that the Carne-
gies might some day make as much of this necessity
of life as they did. In those bygone days none
seemed to understand the vast resources of America,
or to believe in her manifest destiny ; but Mr. White-
law, then M. P. for Glasgow, and one of the Bairds,
was one who knew the possibilities of that future
better than his guests who laughed. We are ready
to challenge them for a year's run any time now,
and we shall beat them next year, sure.

To reach Edinburgh we had to drive diagonally
eastward across the country, for we had gone to the
westward that Dumfries and the Land of Burns
might not be missed. This route took us through
less frequented localities, off the main lines of
travel, but our experience justified us in leeling
that this had proved a great advantage, for we

I70

OUR COACHING TRIP.

saw more of Scotland than we should have done
otherwise. ^

Our luncheon to-da}^ -was a novel one in some
respects. No inn was to be reached upon the
moors, and feed for the horses had to be taken with
us from Cumnock ; but we found the prettiest little
wimpling- burn, across which a passage was made by
throv/ing in big stones, for the shady dell was upon
the far side. The horses w^ere unhitched and
allowed to nibble the wayside grass beside our big
coach, which loomed up on the moor as if it were
double its true size.

The thistle and the harebell begin to deck our
grassy tables at noon, and fine fields of peas and
beans scent the air. All is Scotch ; and oh, that
bracing breeze, which cools deliciously the sun's
bright rays, confirms us in the opinion that no
weather is like Scotch weather, when it is good ;
when it is not I have no doubt the same opinion is
equally correct, but we have no means of judging.
Scotland smiles upon her guests, and we love her
with true devotion in return. *' What do you think
of Scotland noo ? " came often to-day; but words
cannot express what we do think of her. In the
language of one of our young ladies, " She is just
lovely."

The question came up to-day at luncheon, would
one ever tire of this gypsy life ? and it was unani-
mously voted, never ! At least no one could venture
to name a time when he would be ready to return
to the prosy routine of ordinary existence while we
had snch weather and such company. Indeed, this
nomadic life must be the hardest of all to exchange

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 17 1

for city life. It is so diametrically opposed to it in •
every phase. " If I were not the independent gen-
tleman I am," says Lamb, " I should choose to be a
beggar." " Chapsey me a gypsy," gentle Elia, you
could not have known of that life, or perhaps you
considered it and the beggar's life identical. But,
mark you, there is a difference which is much more
than a distinction. A gypsy cannot beg, but he or
she tells fortunes, tinkers a little, and deals in horses.
Even if he steals a little now and then, I take it he
is still within the lines of the profession, while your
beggar who does anything in the way of work, or
who steals, is no true man. His license is for beg-
ging only. The gypsy obviously has the wider
range, and I say again therefore, " Chapsey me a
gypsy," gentle Elia.

We reached pretty Douglas in the evening, and
sounded our horn more than usual to apprise mine
host that the host was upon him. We were greatly
pleased to see him and his good wife standing in the
door of the inn with pleasant, smihng faces to greet
us. They had arranged everything for our comfort.
Many thanks to those gentlemanly officers who had
so kindly given up their rooms to accommodate their
American cousins. Quarters for the gentlemen had
been found in the village, and Joe and Perry and the
horses were all well taken care of. Thus we suc-
cessfully passed through the only occasion where
there seemed to be the slightest difficulty about our
resting-place for the night.

Douglas is really worth a visit. There lie many
generations of the members of that family so noted
in Scotland's history. Home Castle, their residence,

172 OUR COACHING TRIP.

is a commanding pile seen for many miles up the
valley as we approach the town. Our visit to it
was greatly enjoyed, such a pretty walk in the
evening.

Douglas, July 20.
Edinburgh, Scotia's darling seat, only forty-four
miles distant. All aboard, this pretty morning, for
Edinburgh ! " Right, Perry !" and off we went
quite early through Douglas, for the capital. Our
path was through woods for several miles, and we
listened to the birds and saw and heard many of the
incidents of morn so prettily described by Beattie :

"The wild brook babbling down the mountain-side.
The lowing herd ; the sheep-fold's simple bell ;
The hum of bees, and linnet's lay of love,
And the full choir that wakes the universal grove."

It was to be a long day's drive, but an easy one ;
only one hill, and then a gradual descent all the way
to Edinburgh. So it might have been by the other
road, but the milestones which told us so many
miles to Edinburgh should also have said : " Take
the new road ; this is the old one, over the hills and
far away." But they did not, and we could not be
wrong, for this was a way if not tlie way to " Auld
Reekie." After all it was one of the richest of
our experiences as we look back upon it now. So
many hills to walk up and so many to walk down ;
so many moors with not a house to be seen,
nothing but sheep around us and the Hghts and
shadows of a Scotch sky overhead. But it was
grand, and recalled some of Black's wonderful pen
pictures. And then we enjoyed the heather which

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 173

we found in its beauty, though scarce!}' yet tuited
with its richest glow of color.

About luncheon time we began to look longing-
ly for the inn which we expected to find, but there
was no habitation of any kind to be seen, and we
began to suspect that, notwithstanding the mile-
stones, which stood up and told us the lie which was
half the truth (ever the blacker lie), we were not
upon the right road to Edinburgh. At this juncture
we met a shepherd with his collies, and learnt from
him that we were still twelve miles from an inn. It
was a cool, breezy day ; the air had the " nip" in it
which Maggie missed so in England, and we were
famishing. There was nothing else to do but to stop
where we were, at the pretty burn, and tarry there
for entertainment for man and beast.

As proof of our temperance, please note that the
flasks filled with sherry, whiskey, and brandy, at
Brighton I believe, as reserve forces for emergencies,
still had plenty in them when called for to-day ; and
rarely has a glass of spirits done greater good, the
ladies as well as we of the stronger sex feeling that
a glass was necessary to keep off a chill. We were
" o'er the moors among the heather" in good ear-
nest to-day, but how soon we were all set to rights
and laughing over our frolic. The shepherd and his
dugs lunched with us, and many a glint of Scottish
shepherd life did we get from his conversation. He
was a happy, contented man, and ever so gratefid
that he was not condemned to live in a city. He
thought such a cramped-up life would soon kill him.
Good-bye, my gentle shepherd and " Tweed "
and " Rab," your faithful, sagacious companions.
12

174 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Your life leads to contentment, and where will you

find that jewel when you leave mother earth and her

products, her heather and her burns, your doggies

and your sheep ?

Davie, in Andrew Martin's absence, sang us that

song whose prettiest verse, though they are all fine,

is this :

" See yonder paukie shepherd

Wha lingers on the hill,

His ewes are in the fauld

And his sheep are Iving still."

Softly, softly, pianissimo, my boy ! These lines
must be sung so, not loudly like the other verses.
Andrew knows the touch.

" But he downa gang to rest,
For his heart is in a flame
To meet his bonnie lassie,
When the kye come hame."

And SO we parted from our shepherd, the chorus
of our song reaching him over the moors till he fad-
ed out of sight. I am sure we wish him week Hap-
piness is not all, nor mainly, in the higher walks
of life ; and surely in virtue's paths the cottage
leaves the palace far behind.

Another song followed, which I thought equally
appropriate, for it tells us that " Ilka blade o' grass
keps its ain drap o' dew." Ah, the shepherd's
drops of the dew of life are often something that
princes sigh for in vain.

After many miles up and down, we finally reached
the top of a hill from which we saw lying before
us, though still fourteen miles distant, the modern
Athens. There was no mistaking Arthur's Seat, the

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 175

lion crouching- there. " Stop, Perry !" Three times
three for the " Queen of the Unconquered North !"
" What do you think of Scotland noo ?" Match that
city who can ! Not on this planet will you do it,
search where you may.

It was only a few miles from where we now
stood that Fitz Eustace, enraptured with the scene,

" And making denii-volte in air,
Cried, Where's the coward that would not dare
To fight for such a land !"

Fight for it .^ I guess so, to the death ! Scotland
forever !

We were about completing one stage of our jour-
ney, for Edinburgh had been looked forward to as
one of the principal points we had to reach, and we
were to rest there a few days before marching upon
the more ancient metropolis, Dunfermline. Most of
us had been steadily at work since we left Brighton,
and the prospect of a few days' respite was an agree-
able one ; but after all it was surprising how fresh
even the ladies were.

Miss Roxburgh was here called to the front, along-
side of Perry, to act as guide into and through the city
to our hotel in Prince's Street. The enthusiasm s^rew
more and more intense as we came nearer and fresh
views were obtained. There remained one more toll-
gate, one of the few which have not yet been abol-
ished. Joe had as usual gone forward to pay the
toll, but the keeper declared she did not know the
charge, as never since she kept toll had anything
like that — pointing to the coach — passed there. Was
it any wonder that we attracted attention during our
progress northward ?

176 OUR COACHING TRIP.

From one hill-top T caught a sight of the spark-
ling Forth, and beyond where lay " the dearest spot
on earth to me/' The town could not be seen, but
when I was able to cry, " Dunfermline lies there,"
three rousing cheers were given for the " Auld gray
Toon."

Edinburgh, Jul)^ 21-26.

Our route lay through Newington, that we might
leave the young artist at home. We tried to do it
quietly, but our friend Mrs. Hill was out and shak-
ing hands with us ere we could drive off. Mr. Mac-
Gregor of the Royal had been mindful of us ; a
grand sitting-room fronting on Prince's Street and
overlooking the gardens gave us the best possible
view, the very choice spot of all this choice city. The
night was beautiful, and the lights from the towering
houses of the old town made an illumination as it
were in honor of our arrival. That the travellers
were delighted with Edinlpurgh, that it more than ful-
filled all expectations, is to say but httle ; and those
who saw it for the first time felt it to be beyond all
that they had imagined. Those of us who knew its
picturesque charms were more than ever impressed
v/ith its superiority over all other cities. Take my
word for it, my readers, there is no habitation of
human beings in this world as fine in its way, and its
way itself is fine, as this the capital of Scotland.

The surprise and delight of my friends gave me
much pleasure. Scotland had already won all
hearts. They had admired England, but they loved
Scotland. Ah, how could they help it ! I loved her
too more deeply than ever.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 177

It is best to disband a large party when in a city
possessed of many and varied attractions, allowing
each little group to see the sights in its own way ;
assembling, however, at breakfast and dinner, and
spending the evenings together, recounting the day's
adventures. This was the general order issued for
Edinburgh.

Mother and Miss Franks were the guests of Mrs.
D. O. Hill, a Dunfermline bairn of whom we are all
proud (a woman who does man's work in marble is
something to be proud of); so that our hotel party
was something of a republic in the absence of the
Oueen Dowager.

The new docks at Lcith were opened with much
ceremony during our stay, and I took a party of our
Edinburgh friends upon the coach to witness the
opening. It was not a clear day, meteorologically
considered, but nevertheless it \vas a happy one for
the coaching party. Upon our return, a stop at Mr.
Nelson's magnificent residence was specially agree-
able, lie and his daughters were most kind to us
while in Edinburgh. Mr. Nelson gave us a rare
treat by showing us through their immense printing
establishment, where such exquisite things are done,
such Easter and Christmas cards, such friendship
tokens, and a thousand other lovely forms we had
never seen before in their various stages of manu-
facture.

I asked Mr. Nelson what he had to say in reph^
to the admissions of the leading art authorities of the
superiority of American work in black and white,
such as our magazines excel in. He said this could
not be questioned ; there was nothing done in Brit-

1 78 OUR COACHING TRIP.

ish publications that equalled the American. The
reason he gave furnishes food for thought. I pray
you, fellow countrymen, take note of it. Two
principal American illustrated magazines, Harper s
and the Century, print each more than one hundred
thousand copies, while no British magazine prints
half that number. The American publisher can con-
sequently afford to pay twice as much as the British
publisher for his illustrations. If this be the true
reason of America's superiority in this respect, and
I am sure Mr. Nelson knows what he is stating, then
as its population increases more rapidly than the
British the difference between their respective publi-
cations must increase, and finally drive the home
article into a very restricted position. Pursuing this
fact to its logical conclusion, Britain may soon re-
ceive from her giant child all that is best in any de-
partment of art which depends upon general support
for success. This seems to me to betoken a revolu-
tion, not as implying the inherent superiority of the
American, but simply flowing from the fact that fifty
millions of English-speaking and reading people can
afford to spend more for any certain article than
thirty-five millions can. That Colonel Mapleson
now brings over Her Majesty's (3pera Company for
the New York season as regularly as he opens his
London season, and especially that he makes far
more profit out of the former than out of the latter,
is another significant fact. That leading actors find
a wider field here than at home is still another, and
even ministers are finding that the call of the Lord
to higher labors and higher salaries often comes from
the far side of the Atlantic. Drs. McCosh, Hall,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 179

Ormiston, and Taylor, our leading divines, get
treble salaries in the Republic, and are said to be val-
uable importations. As Mr. Evarts said one night
in a post-prandial effort.: " They are about the only
specimens of ' the cloth ' which is admitted duty
free." As long as America sent Britain only pork
and cheese and provisions, and such products of the
soil, it was all well enough, but if she is beginning to
send the highest things of life, the art treasures,
which give sweetness and light to human existence,
it is somewhat alarming. For my part, I do not like
to think that these Americans are to send Britain
every good thing, and that the once proud country
that led the world is to stand receiving as it were the
crumbs from this rich land's table. In one depart-
ment America can be kept second for as long a term
as we need trouble about —she has nothing to com-
pare with the leading English Reviews. Our genera-
tion will see no close rival to the Fort)iightly or the
NinetccntJi Century, to Blackwood ox Chambers' s Jour-
nal, or to the Edinburgh or IVestniiiister Reviciv ;
althouijh the North American and the International
show that even in this race America enters two not
indifferent steeds.

I must not forget to mention that the birds in the
Century magazine which the AtJien(Buni pronounced
so far su})erior to any British work wfere designed b}^
a, young lady and engraved by her sister. The work
of two American young ladies excelled the best of
England ; and then did not Miss Rosina Emmet send
a Christmas greeting of her own composition to
friends in England which took the second prize at
the London Exhibition, although not intended for

i8o OUR COACHING TRIP.

anything more than a private token of friendship.
Let a note be made of all this, with three loving
cheers for the young- lady artists of the Republic.
Instead of losing the charms of women by giving
public expression to their love of the beautiful in all
its forms, th6y but add one more indescribable charm
which their less fortunate sisters can never hope to
attain. How a man does reverence a woman who
does fine things in art, literature, or music, or in any
line whatever !

The Charioteers gave leave of absence to the
chief and general manager to spend Sunday with my
friends Mr. and Mrs. Glover, at Strathairly House,
on the banks of the Forth. It was a most delightful
visit. The Commodore of the Forth Yachting
Squadron (for such friend Glover is) had the Ranee
ready to take us back to Edinburgh Monday morn-
ing. We enjoyed the sail down the Forth very
much. That we could not accept the Commodore's
invitation to change the Gay Charioteers into the
Bold Mariners for a day and visit St. Andrews in
the Ranee gave rise to deep regret, when the other
members of the party were informed of the treat
proposed ; but we cannot glean every field upon our
march. Some other time, Commodore, the recently
elected member of the squadron will report for duty
on the flagship and splice the main-brace with you
and your jolly crew.

Upon our return to Edinburg'h Monday morning,
the first rumbling of the distant thunder from Dun-
fermline was heard, and it dawned upon us that seri-
ous work- was at hand. Our friend, Mr. Donald of
the Council, had called upon us and intimated that

I

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. i8i

something of a demonstration, might be made upon
our arrival in the native town ; but when I found a
telegram from Mr. Simpson, the clerk, asking us to
postpone our coming for a day, T knew there was an
end to play. Things looked serious, but I was not
going to be the sole sufferer. At dinner I laid it down
as the law from which there could be no appeal, that
if there was an)- public speaking to be done, Messrs.
Phipps, McCargo, King, McCandless, and Vande-
vort, in the order named, were in for it. It is sur-
prising how much it mitigates one's own troubles to
see his dearest friends more frightened than him-
self. I grew bolder as I encouraged these victims.
The last two offered great inducements to the ladies
if they would vote that they should be excused. As
for the others, I made it a question of ministerial
confidence, and the administration was sustained.
When you read their speeches I am sure you will see
the wisdom of my selections.

Tuesday was rainy, but with limcheon at ]Mr.
Rose's (which we should have been so sorry to miss,
for we had known Miss Rose of old as one of Emma's
most cherished friends), and a party in the evening
at Mrs. Mill's, the day was a busy one.

I was glad to see Sir Noel Paton, Dunfermline's
most distinguished son, able to be at his sister's that
evening. The recent narrow and heroic escape from
drowning of liimsclf, Tady Paton, and liis son Vic-
tor, gave us all renewed interest in grasping his hand
again. 'Thrown from a small sail-boat into the sea,
at least two hundred vards from shore, with ropes
and sail tangled about them, the three rallied to each
other's support (for all could swim), and bore each

1 82 OUR COACHING TRIP.

other up until finally Lady Paton got between her
husband and son, with one hand on the shoulder of
each, and thus they struggled grandly to shore.
VVhere is another trio that could do that, think
you ? I tell you who don't know Dunfermline, that
these Patons were always a marked famil}^ and have
had genius hovering about their pretty home for
generations, and now and then touching the heads
and hearts of father, sons, and daughters with its
creative wand. There is a great deal in blood, no
doubt, but the blood from au honest weaver or shoe-
maker is, as a rule, a much better article, something
to be much prouder of, than you find from nobles
whose rise came from such conduct as should make
their descendants ashamed to talk of descent. It's a
God's mercy we are all from honest weavers ; let us
pity those who haven't ancestors of whom they can
be proud, dukes or duchesses though they be.

Dunfermline, July 27-28.
Put all the fifty days of our journey together, and
we would have exchanged them all for rainy ones if
we could have been assured a bright day for this oc-
casion. It came, a magnificent day. The sun shone
forth as if glad to shine upon this the most memorable
day of my mother's life or of mine, as far as days can
be rendered memorable by the actions of our fellow-
men. We left Edinburgh and reached Queensferry
in time for the noon boat. Here was the scene so
finely given in " Marmion," which I tried, however,
in vain to recall as I gazed upon it. If Dunfermline
and its thunders had not been in the distance, I think

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. ' 183

I could have given it after a fashion, but I failed
altogether that morning.

" But northward far, with purer blaze,
On Ochil mountains fell the rays.
And as each heathy top they kissed.
It gleamed a purple amethyst.
Yonder the shores of Fife you saw ;
Here Preston Bay, and Berwick Law ;
And broad between them rolled,
The gallant Firth the eye might note.
Whose inlands on its bosom float.
Like emeralds chased in gold."

And truly it was a morning in which nature's
jewels sparkled at their best. Upon reaching the
north shore we were warmly greeted by Uncle and
Aunt Lauder, and Maggie and Annie. It was de-
cided better not to risk luncheon in the ruins of
Rosythe Castle, as we had intended, the grass being
reported damp from recent rains. We accordingly
drove to the inn, but we were met at the door by
the good landlady, who, with uplifted hands, ex-
claimed : " I'm a' alane ! There's naebody in the
house ! They're a' awa' to Dunfermline ! There'll
be 2:reat 2:oinfjs on there the day."

A hotel without one servant. The good woman,
however, assured us we might come in and help
ourselves to anything in the house ; so we managed
to enjo}^ our luncheon, some of us only after a fash-
ion. There were three gentlemen, a wife, and a
cousin who for the first time did not care much for
anything in the form of luncheon. Speeches,
speeches, these are what troubled Harry, Davie, and
me ; and I had cause for grave alarm, of which
the}- could form little idea, fo-r I felt that if Dun-

184 OUR COACHING TRIP.

fermline had been touched and her people had deter-
mined to give us a public reception, there was no
saying to what lengths they might go.

If I could decently have stolen away and gone
round by some circuitous route, sending my fellow
townsmen an apology, and telling them that I really
felt myself unable to undergo the ordeal, I should
have been tempted to do so. I was also afraid that
mother would break doAvn, for if ever her big black
eyes get wet it's all over with her.. How fortunate it
was that Mrs. Hill was with her to keep her right !
It was wisely resolved that she should take mother
inside of the coach and watch over her. I bit my
lip, told the Charioteers they were in for it and
must go through without flinching, that now the
crisis had come I was just bound to stand anything.
I was past stage-fright, and I assured myself that
they could do their worst — I was callous and would
not be moved — but to play the part of a popular
hero even for a day, wondering all the time what
you have done to deserve the outburst, is fearful
work. When I did get time to think of it, my
tower of strength lay in the knowledge that the
spark which had set fire to their hearts was mother's
return and her share in the day's proceedings.
Grand woman, she has deserved all that was done in
her honor even on that day. What she has done for
her two boys is incredible — ^a romance if truly writ-
ten— but what she has done for herself is more in-
credible still, for she is the centre from which radi-
ates, in small as in great things, the clear rays of un-
impeachable truth and honor. Mother's statements,
from " I shall be glad to see you," uttered to an ac-

I

BRTGHTOM TO INVERNESS. 185

qiiaintance, up to the most serious things of life, fall
as if preceded with " thus saith the Lord," for they
are always true. So I kept m3'self strong in the
knowledge that this ovation was for her, and stronger
in the further faith that it was deserved.

A man stopped us at the junction of the roads to
inform us that we were expected to pass through
the ancient borough of Innerkeithing, but I forgot
myself there. It seemed a fair chance to escape part
of the excitement (we had not yet begun the cam-
paign as it were) ; at all events I dodged, to escape
the first fire, as raw troops are always said to do, and
so we took the direct road. When the top of the
Ferry Hills was reached we saw the town, all as dead
as if the holy Sabbath lay upon it, without one evi-
dence of life. How beautiful is Dunfermline seen
from the Ferry Hills, its grand old abbey towering
ov^er all, seeming to hallow the city and to lend a
charm and dignity to the lowliest tenement. Nor is
there in all broad Scotland, nor in many places else-
where that I know of, a more varied and delightful
view than that obtained from the park upon a fine
day. What Benares is to the Hindoo, Mecca to the
Mohammedan, Jerusalem to the Christian, all that
Dunfermline is to me.

But here I must stop. If you want to learn how
impulsive and enthusiastic the Scotch are when once
aroused, how dark and stern and true is the North,
and yet how fervid and overwhelming in its love
when the blood is up, I do not know "where you will
find a better evidence of it than in what follows. See
how small a spark kindled so great a flame. Mother
and I are still somewhat shamefaced about it, but

1 86 OUR COACHING TRIP.

somehow or other we managed to go through with
our parts without breaking down.

Dunfermline, July 27-28.
The following are the accounts, from the Press
and y<:;'//r«(T'/ newspapers of Dunfermline, of July 30,
1 88 1, which seem necessary to make the record of
the trip complete, but which all except those deeply
interested* may skip :

THE CARNEGIE DEMONSTRATION.
There was one feature in the great demonstration
which took place in Dunfermline on Wednesday,
that must have very much enhanced its value in the
eyes of the public-spirited gentleman in whose honor
it was held, and that was, its almost entire unanim-
ity. There may have been some difference of opin-
ion at first among the inhabitants as to the advisa-
bility of adopting the Libraries Act in Dunfermline,
as there was lately in Edinburgh ; but there did not
seem to be any at all either as to the value of the
gifts which Mr. Andrew Carnegie has bestowed
upon his native town, or as to the propriety of doing
all due honor to the man to whom honor was due.
If all the inhabitants of Dunfermline did not take
part in the magnificent procession which took place,
few there were who did not turn out to the Public
Park or the streets to do full justice to the occasion.
Great as are the benefits which Mr. Carnes:ie has be-
stowed upon Dunfermline, and much as these are
appreciated by the inhabitants, it may safely be said,
however, that the enthusiasm which was manifested
at the laying of the memorial stone of the Free Li-
brary on Wednesday had a deeper significance than

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 187

the mere gratitude which most people naturally feel
for favors received. Mr. Carnegie is, in every sense
of the word, a representative man ; and all classes
of the community recognize in him an example of
self-reliance, energy, perseverance, and generous-
heartedness, that not only do honor" to the " Auld
Gray Toon," but may prove an incentive in the
future to generations yet unborn. It was in this
spirit, we doubt not, that so many trades, public
works, societies, and fraternities combined to do
honor to their former townsman ; and, certainly, no
more stirring sight was ever seen in Dunfermline
than when the people, assembled in their thousands
in the Public Park, gave him a right hearty welcome
to his native town, and, in well-chosen words, ex-
pressed their gratitude to him for the invaluable gifts
which he had bestowed upon the community. The
American friends who are travelling with Mr. Car-
negie and his revered mother have seen a good
many demonstrations in tlieir day — even the great
demonstration at Leith on Tuesday, on the opening
of the new Edinburgh dock — and have themselves
received much respect and consideration while on
their " four-in-hand " journey through England to
Scotland ; but they have had to confess, that they
were more than surprised at the spontaneous burst
of enthusiasm with which Mr. Carnegie and his re-
spected mother were everywhere received in Dun-
fermline. It was a revelation to them which they
will not soon forget ; and however much they may
have been disposed to believe in the familiar adage,
" Out of sight, out of mind," they were compelled
to admit that to whatever part of the world the sons

l88 OUR COACHING TRIP.

of Dunfermline may wander to fight out for them-
selves " the battle of life," and to whatever position
they may attain in the struggle, they are still re-
membered with kindly feelings by the " old folks at
home," and are gladly welcomed by all who know
them when the}' return to the scenes ot their youth.
Perhaps there was no more affecting part of Wed-
nesday's proceedings than when the successful man
of business — the wealthy and influential iron king of
Pittsburgh and New York — paused, in his triumph-
ant progress through the town, at the humble dwell-
ing where he was born, and took a long and loving
look at the plain old building ; or when, in the even-
ing at the great banquet which was held in St.
Margaret's Hall, the large and influential assembly
joined heartily in the refrain of the fine old Scotch
ballad, " Will ye no' come back again" — a refrain,
it need hardly be said, which was most appropriate
to the occasion, and which produced upon Mr. Car-
negie and his lady and gentlemen friends an effect
that was as touching as it was creditable to them.

But much as Dunfermline has to thank Mr. Car-
negie for, she is by no means the only recipient of
his bounties. It was only the other day that an in-
stitute not a hundred miles from Bannockburn had
to acknowledge his generosity in the form of a large
subscription which he had presented to it, in aid of
the commendable objects it has in view. And we
have it from the best authority, that it is one of the
standing rules in the office of his great establishment
in New York, that no native of Dunfermline who
calls upon him for advice or assistance is ever to be
sent away without his knowledge or without seeing

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 189

him if at all possible. Like most great business men
who have carved out a fortune for themselves by
their own indomitable energy and intellectual ability,
Mr. Carnegie is liable to be dropped upon by im-
postors ; but we believe that no real case of hardship
or of difficulty has ever come before him personally
without his having done something to the removal
of it. In one word, in doing honor to Mr. Carnegie
and his personal friends on Wednesday, the people
of Dunfermline did honor to one whose deeds of
charity and benevolence are as well, and perhaps
better, known in the country of his adoption than they
are in his native town. And we can only re-echo
the sentiments which were expressed by so many in-
fluential gentlemen at the^ banquet in the evening —
that the Public Baths and the Free Library which
Mr. Carnegie has so generousl}^ presented to the
town will be taken advantage of in such a way as
will show him that their real worth are duly appre-
ciated by the community whose welfare he has so
deeply at heart.

MR. CARNEGIE'S "FOUR-IN-HAND'" TOUR.

The interesting journey which Mr. Carnegie is
now making through Scotland, as lie has already
done in England, will give the American friends who
accompany him a good opportunity of carrying away
with them many pleasant memories of the " old
country." The mode of travelling which he has
adopted is one which brings to mind the old cf)ach-
ing days, with the exciting vicissitudes of the road,
the quaint but i)icturesque villages and old liostel-
ries, and the broad expanse of landscape and ever-
^3

I go

OUR COACHING TRIP.

changing scenes which meet the eye from the com-
fortable outside seat of a well-appointed " four-in-
hand," as it bowls along. And when Mr. Carnegie
contemplated so lengthened a journey as he is now
making, he did well, we think, in-arranging to travel
in the old-fashioned style, and to carry along with
him the necessary materials and appliances for min-
istering to the creature comforts of himself and nu-
merous party. His journey has as yet proved a very
pleasant and agreeable one ; and Dunfermline is not
the only town which he has passed through that has
received him with marked honor and respect ; nor
is the silver trowel which was presented to Mrs.
Carnegie after she laid the memorial stone of the
Dunfermline Free Library the only presentation that
has been made during the course of the journey.
Starting from Brighton, shortly after their arrival
from America, Mr. Carnegie and his mother, along
with their American and other friends, proceeded
thi"ough various parts of England on their way to
Scotland. His party included Mr. and Mrs. King,
and Mr. G. F. McCandless, of New York ; Mr. rfnd
Mrs. McCargo, Miss J. Johns, Mr. H. Phipps, Jr.,
and Mr. B. F. Vandevort, of Pittsburgh ; Miss Alice
French, Davenport ; and Miss Emma Franks, Liver-
pool. Among other places which they visited was
Windsor, where Mrs. Carnegie was presented by
the party with a handsome gold-plated silver cup on
reaching her seventy-first birthday. From Windsor,
the party visited in succession Oxford, Warwick
Castle, Kenilworth, Coventry, Birmingham, and
Wolverhampton — at the latter of which places they
were hospitably entertained for a week by Mr. and

BRIGHTON- TO IIVVERNESS. 191

Mrs. T. Graham (late Mrs. Whitelaw, Dunfermline),
and many other friends. Lichfield, Dovedale, and
Kendal were next passed through ; and on the arrival
of the party at the Westmoreland Lakes, a halt was
called, and a pleasant week was spent in visiting the
beautiful scenes wdiich the poet Wordsworth has im-
mortalized by his pen. Proceeding next to Dum-
fries, the party were kindl}'' entertained by Mr. Nel-
son, of Friars Carse (Ellisland), where Mr. and Mrs.
Carnegie renewed their recollections of our national
poet, " Robert Burns." Arrived at Lanark, an in-
teresting visit was made to Douglas Castle ; then
posting on to Edinburgh — where the more prominent
objects of interest in the metropolis of Scotland
were inspected — some of the party proceeded to
Leith on Tuesda}' to witness the great demonstra-
tion at the opening of the new Edinburgh dock. The
visit to Dunfermline — the most interesting and most
memorable of all — is fully described elsewhere ; and
yesterday forenoon Mr. Carnegie and party set off
in their "four-in-hand" for a tour to the north of
Scotland, by way of Perth and Dunkeld. Among
those who have already accompanied Mr. Carnegie
and his American friends during a portion of their
journey ma}- be mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Graham,
Wolverhampton ; Miss Jane Reid, the Misses Lau-
der, Miss K. Graham, and Mr. A. Martin, Dunferm-
line— all of whom, we need hardly say, can testify to
the geniality and hospitality of their entertainer, the
harmon}- and good humor that prevailed among the
company, and the healthful enjoyment which all ex-
perienced in their rather unusual but delightful mode
of travelling.

192 OUR COACHING TRIP.

LAYING OF THE MEMORIAL STONE OF THE
CARNEGIE FREE LIBRARY.

GREAT DEMONSTRATION.

The memorial stone of the Carnegie Free Libra-
ry M^is laid on Wednesday by Mrs. Carnegie, the
mother of the generous donor, amid great enthusi-
asm. Seldom if ever has Dunfermline witnessed
such a grand display of flags and banners, or the
organization of a procession so large in numbers, so
orderly, so enthusiastic, and so picturesque in ap-
pearance. Every one in the community seemed to
vie with each other in making the occasion memo-
rable, and the result was a decided success, far ex-
ceeding the most sanguine anticipations regarding it.
The demonstration may be said to be unparalleled
in the history of Dunfermline, and was alike worthy
of the or-entleman in whose honor it was made and
the occasion which called it forth.

It falls to the lot of very few towns to have such
a son as Mr. Carnegie, who amid all the worldly
wealth which he has so honorably amassed for him-
self in a foreign land, still evinces a deep and keen
interest in the welfare of his native city of Dunferm-
line, and exhibits that interest in generously provid-
ing it with public baths and a free library— gifts cal-
culated to be of immense benefit to the inhabitants.
It was therefore only proper, when Mr. Carnegie,
who is accompanied by Mrs. Carnegie and a number
of friends from America, expressed his intention of
visiting Dunfermline for the purpose of having the
memorial stone laid of the institution which he has
so handsomely gifted to the town, that business

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 193

should be generally suspended, and the inhabitants
turn out and give him a hearty reception, as a token
of the gratitude they entertain for the great benefits
he has bestowed upon his native town. The manner
in which this was done on Wednesday showed very
unmistakably how much the inhabitants of Dun-
fermline appreciate his generosity. The idea of
having a demonstration worthy of the occasion Avas
first mooted by the Library Committee, who re-
spectfully invited the different trades and public
bodies to meet and make the necessary arrange-
ments. The representatives of these bodies entered
enthusiastically into the matter, and the arrange-
ments made were of a very satisfactory character,
and were carried into effect most successfully.

TIT?: nECORATIONS THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.

From an early hour on Wednesday great prepa-
rations v/cre made to give the town a gay appear-
ance, and the efforts of a large number of people to
do so with suitable decorations had the desired
effect. From priv^ate and public buildings numerous
flags and banners were displayed ; and on the Cor-
poration Buildings there floated the Scottish Stand-
ard and a flag bearing the city arms. At other
points in the High vStreet bimting was exhibited —
the strings of flags from Mr. R. Nicol junior's shop
across to the Townhouse, and to the roof of the old
library building, especiall}^ being very effective ; but
what attracted the most attentiun was a huge banner
hung across the street from Mr. Rolland's shop,
which bore the ver}? appropriate motto, " Welcome
Carnegie, generous son." Farther along the street

194 OUR COACHING TRTP.

a line of flags was stretched across from Mr. Tay-
lor's studio to Mr. Grieve's shop, on which was the
word, " Trinacria." On the Gate Tower of the
palace were floating the national flags of America,
England, and Scotland. Here due honor was done
to the combined flags by Mr. Carnegie's carriage
stopping underneath them, and the occupants giving
vent to their patriotic feelings in several rounds of
cheers. At St. Margaret's Hall, the Post-Office, the
City Arms and other hotels, the Music Hall, banks,
shops, factories, and other public works, there was
more or less bunting displayed ; while at the en-
trance of the town at Bothwell Street was erected
a very tasteful triumphal arch. The greatest dis-
play, however, was at the Library Buildings, which
w^ere decorated in a very artistic manner.

THE PROCESSION.

To the general public the most attractive feature
of the day's proceedings was the large and pictu-
resque procession. Work was generally suspended
at one o'clock, and the streets from that time wore a
very lively aspect. Crowds of people were to be
seen taking advantage of the most prominent places
from which a good view could be obtained of the
pageant. The arrangements made were closely ad-
hered to in all details, and at three o'clock large
contingents from the various trades, public works,
and societies, wended their way to the Public Park,
which was the general marshalling ground of the
procession. Here a great crowd of people had as-
sembled on the slopes above the central walk, and
the movements of the marshals — Messrs. Robertson,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 195

Halliday, and Sergeant Brown —as they proceeded
to arrange the procession in proper order, were
watched with much interest. At half-past three
o'clock, the time appointed for the procession to
start, every one of the different works and societies
were in their allotted places, and, accompanied by
the Elgin, Townhill, Lassodie, Crossgates, and For-
dell brass bands, who were placed at intervals, the
procession moved off, amid great cheering, in the
following order : Oddfellows, Dyers, Bakers ; Free
Gardeners, including the Ancient Society; Foresters,
workers at Dunfermline Foundry ; the work people
at Victoria and Castleblair, Canmore, St. Leonard's,
Dunfermline, Caledonian, St. Margaret's, Abbey Gar-
dens, Both well, Alban}^, and Clayacres Factories,
including Bleachers. The route taken was by
Comely Park Place and New Row. The procession
presented a very imposing appearance, and numbered
about 8000 —5000 of which may be safely said to have
represented the different factories. The spectacle
which the procession presented as they proceeded to
Both well Street was one wh'ich is seldom witnessed.
The clean and tidy appearance of the females and
the other workers in the factories — many of whom
bore flags, with suitable mottoes, and various minia-
ture designs of the machines used in the preparation
and weaving of the damask linen ; the lively cos-
tumes of the Oddfellows, Gardeners, and Foresters,
"with the jicculiar insignia of their order and other
emblems of brotherhood, along with the display of
the Dyers, Bakers, and Bleachers, made a pageant
which all who witnessed it or took part in it will
long remember. The head of the procession reached

196 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Bothwell Place shortly before four o'clock, and here
the Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council were
stationed at each side of the street in brakes, in which
they had been driven down from the Townhouse,
preceded by three pipers and the burgh ofhcer with
his halberd. A large concourse of people had as-
sembled here to give Mr. Carnegie a hearty welcome
on his approach to the town. Punctual to time —
four o'clock — Mr. Carnegie, along with a party of
friends, drove up in his four-in-hand coach, and the
crowd received him with loud and prolonged cheer-
ing, which Mr. Carnegie gracefully acknowledged.
Shortly after, the processionists began to move,
and as they passed the Gusset House, constant and
heart}'; cheers were given by them — the females
waving their handkerchiefs. The procession took
fully twenty minutes to pass, and was upward of a
mile in length. The distinguished visitors, with the
members of the Town Council, followed the proces-
sion ; and as they were driven through the crowded
streets, Mr. Carnegie received a perfect ovation from
the people, which he repeatedly acknowledged. The
route taken was by the Netherton and Moodie
Street. As soon as the top of this street was reached
the carriages were stopped opposite the house in
which Mr. Carnegie was born, which is on the east
side of the street. Hearty cheers were at once
raised by the strangers and crowd, after which the
party proceeded up Gibb wStreet, Monastery Street,
Kirkgate, High Street, East Port Street, and Holy-
rood Place — Mr. Carnegie meantime receiving en-
thusiastic greetings from the occupants of the well-
filled windows and the people on the different

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 197

streets, and the bells of the Abbey and Townhouse
ringing out merr)' peals all the while. The three
carriages passed through an assemblage uf people,
who must have numbered 10,000, to a platform
which had been erected on the south side of the up-
per walk to enable the workingmcn to present Mr.
Carnegie with an

ILLUMINATED ADDRESS.

As soon as the platform was filled, the people
crowded round it as close as possible in order to wit-
ness the proceedings. The company on the platform
included Mrs. and ]Mr. Carnegie ; Mrs. D. O. Hill,
Edinburgh ; Mr. Carnegie's friends ; ex-Provost
Mathieson ; Provost Walls ; Bailies Walker, Steed-
man, Seath, and Lamond ; ex-Bailie Inglis ; Treas-
urer Blair ; Councillors Beveridge, Donald, Alston,
Lee, Brown, Roberton, Spence, and Stewart ;
Messrs. J. Drummond, R. Reid, G.' Lauder, G. W.
Robertson, and J. C. Walker, architect, Edinburgh.
The committee appointed by the workingmen to
prepare and present the address were then intro-
duced to Mr. Carnegie and Provost Walls, and im-
mediately

Mr. I). Thomson, manager of the Abbey Garden
Works, said : We, the workingmen of Dunfermline-
and in speaking of the workingmen T suppose I may
take in the whole city — we regard this day as one of
no little importance in our annals. It is not every
day that a free library is inaugurated in our midst.
We believe that this institution, which is now about
to be opened, will be of great credit to the cit)* and

198 OUR COACHING TRIP.

of great value to us workingmen ; and we desire, on
the present occasion, to offer to the Hberal donor of
the Public Baths and Free Library one word at least
of thanks and welcome. (Cheers.) Time was when
the workingmen of Dunfermline were regarded as
perhaps one of the m^st intelligent communities in
the country, and candidates for pohtical honors knew
that they need not come here talking soft nothings,
the political leavings of other communities, and with
nothing but the adventitious aids of family connec-
tion ; but that unless they came with sound argu-
ments and well-hardened facts they need not come at
all. I do believe to some extent we are distinguished
by the same qualities of our forefathers. The weav-
ers of a past generation or two had perhaps more
liberty during the day than we have, and they could
come o'ut in mid-forenoon to read the newspapers,
and discuss and heckle the characters of men in high
places ; but if we cannot come out of our places at
mid-forenoon, or mid-afternoons, we have our even-
ings, and we want some means by which these even-
ings may be spent in a rational and intelligent man-
ner. Our benefactor, Mr. Carnegie, in his own
liberal way, has now provided that in a very hand-
some manner. (Cheers.) I hope that, in future years,
this library will tell upon the men of Dunfermline,
and that the workingmen especially, for whom these
benefits are mainly directed, will take advantage of
this library, and show by their attendance and ap-
preciation how^ much they .value such a noble institu-
tion. (Loud cheers.) Without saying more, I will
now read the address which we have prepared. It
is as follows :

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 199

" Address hy the WorJiingimn of the City of Dii!?fnnliiie to Andrew
Carnegie, Esq., of Neiu York, on the occasion of the Laying of
the Memorial Stone of the Carnegie Tree Library, 27 jfniy, 1S81.

" Sir, — We, the vvorkingmen of Dunfermline, gladly avail our-
selvei; of this opportunity of welcoming you to your naiive city, and of
expressing to you our high appreciation of your noble generosity to
this coniinuniiy.

" While rejoicing in the success which has attended your commer-
cial enterprises, it is particularly gratfying to the sons of the ' Auld
Gray Toon ' that your generous mind has found means of usefulness
for part of your worldly wealth by seeking to benefit the working
classes of this town.

•' By your handsome gift of Public Baths and a Free Library, you
have shown a real interest in our welfare, and we now desire to
assure you of our heartfelt gratitude for these inestimable boons.

" It is our earnest wish that you mny long be spared to enjoy
continued health and happiness, and that prosperity which has
hitherto attended you in the land of your adoption.

" In name and on behalf of the workingmen of Dunfermline.

(Signed) " Peter Easson.

" Daniel Thomson.

Peter Blackwood.
" John Weir.

" jAMi.s Brown."

Loud and prolonged cheers greeted the closing
of the address, which was written on vellum, and
executed by Messrs. Scott & Ferguson, Edinburgh ;
and when Mr. Carnegie rose to reply the acclama-
tions were ajjain enthusiastically renewed. — >

Mr. Carnecrie said : " Workino;rtien and women of
Dunfermline, it seems to me at this moment as if I had
been searching all my life for some great prize, I knew
not what, and that it has been just laid at my feet.
Nothing could so have touched mv heart, nor the
heart of mv mother, as the spontanccnis and magnifi-
cent ovation vouchsafed to us at the hands of our

2 00 OUR COACHING TRIP.

fellow-workmen and workingwomen of Dunfermline
—(cheers) — for I tell you that I am proud to claim
the title of a workingman. I am not only one who
works with his brains, but one who, like yourselves,
has toiled with his hands. The first dollar that I ever
earned was in a manufactory, fiUing the spools, as
many of you do this day. (Cheers.) I have come from
the great Republic, where I have -learned the true
political gospel that labor --what a man himself does
—constitutes the only true title to honor — (cheers) —
and I tell you, my friends, the day is not far distant
when all of 3^ou will decline to honor a man on
account of his birth ; and a noble man, no matter
what his birth, will scorn to wear a title which he
has not himself earned. (Cheers.) My friends, I
have presented to you a Free Library, because I
thought it the greatest blessing which it was in the
power of one of yourselves to bestow upon this
community. (Cheers.) Had I known a better gift
to bestow upon you, my love for Dunfermline and
the interest I take in all her inhabitants would have
led me to bestow that gift. I am sure my mother
and myself are very far from viewing this ovation,
worthy of a conqueror returning in triumph, as a
personal affair ; we receive it as evidence that you
fully appreciate, the gift, and are determined to
take advantage of the manifold blessings which a
Free Library is calculated to bestow. (Cheers.)
You may dine upon humble fare, but when you
enter the portals of the Librar}' a banquet worthy
of the gods is yours ; and ]et me tell you that'
you* enter this Library — not as strangers, not to
commune solely with men of a class above your

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 201

own — but in a large measure to receive the high-
est wisdom from men whose hands have actually
toiled as yours have done. You have Shakespeare,
the mightiest of all intellects, and your own genius
Burns, the ploughman. (Cheers.) My friends, we
must learn never to forget that there is no title
to honor to be compared with that of the day's
task honestly done. (Cheers.) I will keep you no
longer, but allow me to say before closing, that it is
impossible that any act which I may perform in after
life can give me the gratification flowing from this if
vou, by your free and generous use of the Library,
enable me to indulge the sweet thought that it has
been my privilege to bestow upon Dunfermline, my
native town, a Free Library, which has proved itself
a fountain of good to my fellow-townsmen." (Loud
and prolonged cheers.)

This terminated the proceedings at the park ;
and the party, descending from the platform, entered
the carriages and, amid the plaudits of the multi-
tude, took their way to the Free Library building,
where Mrs. Carnegie was to lay the memorial stone.

THE LAYING OF THE MEMORIAL STONE.

The route taken b) the party to reach the Library
was by East Port Street, New Row, and Canmore
Street ; and on arriving at Abbot Street, at half-past
five o'clock, wiicre a dense crowd had assembled to
witness the interesting ceremony of laying the
memorial stone of the Library, the distinguished visit-
ors received a great ovation. The different points
of vantage surrounding the Library buildings were
fully occupied ; and people were seen perched on

2 02 OUR COACHING TRIP.

the roofs of the houses opposite, while several sat on
chimney-cans, in order to obtain a good view. A
platform, nearly on a level with the top of the door-
way where the stone was to be laid, was erected in-
side the buildings, to accommodate a large company
of ladies and gentlemen, who were admitted by
ticket. The -accommodation proved to be small
enough for the number that availed themselves of
the privilege. After Mrs. and Mr. Carnegie, Pro-
vost Walls, and the members of the Committee had
gathered in front of the stone,

Provost Walls said if there were two institutions
in any city in modern days more required than
others, they were a free library and public baths.
Some years ago, the people of Dunfermline resolved
on obtaining an additional supply of water. They
had scarcely got it in when a friend from the other
side of the Atlantic came to visit them, and he be-
thought him how he could best apply a portion of it
for their benefit in some other way than through the
painful means of an assessment. That friend, like a
good-hearted magician, made a stroke with his
wand, the Baths arose, and they were now in use.
It took some time before people became sufificiently
educated to be able fully to appreciate even the most
useful things, but in that respect he was glad to say
that the Baths were prospering every month in in-
creased ratio, as compared with the corresponding
months of previous years. A Free Library, however,
was entirely different from baths. (Cheers.) Edu-
cation has been going on, and people are ready for
it. Formerly education was general, but now it was
universal ; and, in order to enjoy the advantage of

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 203

such buildings as a Free Library, people must read
fluently and intelligently. That the people of Dun-
fermline thoroughly appreciated the erection and
furnishing- of such a Library was evident from what
they saw before them. The hearty demonstration
they had witnessed was a testimony of the gratitude
of the people for the boon which had been conferred
on them ; and he had no doubt that generations to
come would still more value its aids and avail them-
selves of its contents, and alwa3's bless the name of
Carnegie. (Cheers.) Turning to Mrs*. Carnegie, the
Provost said : " I have now to address m3^self to you,
jNIadam. By the magnificent generosity of your
noble son we owe this valuable gift, and I have now
to ask you to lay the memorial stone. When the
Committee in charge of the arrangements heard that
Mr. Carnegie was likely to be in wScotland, they im-
mediately agreed to ask him to lay the memorial
stone, as it was too late to lay the foundation stone.
With that filial love and reverence which does him
infinite honor, Mr. Carnegie replied, ' I would like
you to ask my mother to do it.' (Cheers.) I have,
therefore, now to ask you to lay the memorial stone
of a building which will show to all generations what
Mr. Carnegie has done for his native town. (Cheers.)
I have now to present you with this silver trowel."

Mr. Carnegie then deposited a hermetically -
sealed bottle in the cavity, which contained the
Scotsman, DuufcrinUiic Press and Journal, a descrip-
tion of the building, " Clark's Guide to Dunferm-
line," and the coins of the realm.

Mrs. Carnegie next spread the mortar over the
stone, after which the coping was lowered into its

2 04 OUR COACHING TRIP.

place along with the ornamental finial. The stone
was then plumbed and levelled ; and after Mrs. Car-
negie had given the three mystic taps, she said, " I
declare this memorial stone duly and properly laid,
and may God bless the undertaking.''

The Provost, addressing Mrs. Carnegie, said : "In
the name of the Free Library Committee, I have now
to present you with this trowel, with which you
have this day done this great work. An inscription
has yet to be put upon it, which will show to the
people who come after you what you were enabled
to do this day." (Cheers.)

Mrs. Carnegie having bowed her acknowledg-
ments, most of the company proceeded to St. Mar-
garet's Hall, to partake of the splendid luncheon
there provided, and take part in the other proceed-
ings of the evening.

The large crowds were very orderly all day, and
there was very little undue crushing. Superintend-
ent Stuart and the burgh police, assisted by Super-
intendent Chisholm and a number of the county
force, maintained excellent order during the day.

LUNCHEON IN ST. MARGARET'S HALL.

Shortly after six o'clock, after the interesting
ceremony of laying the memorial stone, Mrs. and
Mr. Carnegie and friends were entertained at a
grand luncheon in St. Margaret's Hall, where cov-
ers were laid for 260. The hall was gayly decorated
with numerous flags, bannerets, and flowering
shrubs, and presented a very fine appearance.
Above the platform there was suspended a white flag
bearing the following inscription printed in blue,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 205

" Welcome to the Noble- Hearted Andrew Carne-
gie ;" while at the other end of the hall, below the
gallery, was one with the following words: "To
the Strangers a Kind W^elcome." In addition to
the ladies and gentlemen at the tables, the gallery
was filled with ladies, who e\nnced a warm interest
in the proceedings. Provost Walls presided, and
ex-Provost Mathieson and Mr. W. Inglis acted as
croupiers. On the chairman's right were Mrs. Car-
negie, New York ; Mrs, D. O. Hill, Edinburgh ;
Mr. Phipps, Pittsburgh ; Miss Franks, Liverpool ;
Mr, and Mrs. McCargo, Pittsburgh ; and Miss A.
Lauder, Dunfermline ; and on the left the honored
guest of the evening ; Colonel and Mrs, Myers,
Dunfermline ; Miss J, Johns, Pittsburgh ; Mr.
McCandless (Mr. Carnegie's secretar}-). New York ;
Mr. Yandevort, Pittsburgh ; Miss French, Daven-
port ; Miss Graham, Wolverhampton ; and Miss
Roxburgh, Edinburgh. The assemblage was a
thoroughly representative one, and included many
of the working classes. Rev, Dr. Mitchell said
grace, and after a sumptuous repast, served up in
Mr, Anderson's, of the City Arms Hotel, best st3de,
the Chairman proposed the health of " The Queen,"
which was didy honored.

The Chairman : "I ask you now to drink to the
health of another potentate who, though not a
crowned rhonarch as our most gracious Oucen, rules
over one of the most powerful empires in the world
— the health of Mr, Garfield, the President of the
United States. (Cheers.) It is not often we have
the privilege of drinking to the health of the Presi-
dent ; but seeing that wc have so many of his dis-
H

2o6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

tinguished subjects before us, I am sure you will
drink his health as heartily as we have drunk that of
our Queen's. The President has come before us
lately in a very, painful manner, enough to shock the
feelings of every one of us. We lately heard of
another crowned head being assassinated, which was
to be deplored, but not so much to be wondered at,
although he was a monarch who had conferred vast
benefits on his country ; and because he did not go
so far as some wished he was assassinated. Our own
beloved Queen has not been free from the terror of
the assassin ; but to think that such a man, so noble
as President Garfield, who himself has risen to the
high position he holds by his own efforts — who was
elected to it by the votes of his fellow-citizens— who
was respected by all persons, and was equally at
home in the Senate as in the Sunday-school — that
such a man should be the mark for the assassin to
shoot at was a great wonder indeed. I can assure
our American friends here that we felt as deeply as
they did what had been done to that noble gentle-
man. I am glad to see that the President is likely
to recover ; and I now propose his health, coupled
with that of Colonel Myers, the representative of
America in t)unfermline." (Cheers.)

Colonel Myers, in reply, said : " The President of
the United States has my hearty sympathy, and I
am sure he has all yours as well. We all 'rejoice at
the favorable prospects of his speedy recovery from
the wounds inflicted by a lunatic. (Cheers.) I say
a lunatic, because it is hard for us to believe that any
man in his sound senses should attempt to take the
life of the President of the United States — (cheers)

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 207

— a man in whom the milk of human kindness flows
to overflowing, and in whose bosom no place is left
for anger, animosity, or h()stility to any human be-
ing alive. (Cheers.) I have met President Garfield
on the battle-field when thousands were lying around
slain, but yet although he had the spirit of warfare
in him, when you looked on his calm face you could*
not but feel that it was not possible for him to treat
his fallen foes with any act of tyranny or of oppres-
sion. (Cheers.) 1 say, I repeat, we rejoice at the
prospect of his speedy recovery, which will be
shared by all the civilized word, for the crime of as-
sassination is one which all civilized communities
must abhor. It is the act of the cow^ard ; it is the
act of the insane ; it is the act of one that we all
shun, and must of necessity shun, because life has no
value if the assassin is applauded for his deed.
(Cheers.) We are here to-day to do honor to Mr.
Carnegie, who is on a visit at the present time to his
native place ; and although he is a citizen of my
country, and you have no longer an exclusive claim
on him — although he is rich, and has any amount of
the comforts of this life to be able to procure all the
luxuries that money can buy, yet by his generous
and liberal gifts to this town, he has shown to you
and to the world that he has not forgotten the peo-
ple in the ' Auld Gray Toon.' (Loud cheers.) I
was pleased to see you turn out so well as you did
to do honor to a poor weaver's son. (Cheers.) I
was pleased to see a demonstration which, T am sure,
some of your old heads never expected to sec, when
you saw him leave this town to seek his fortune in
the far West. It is tome a great pleasure that T can

2oS OUR COACH I XG TRIP,

at this time point out to you Mr. Carnegie as a liv-
ing example of what industry, energy, honesty, and
sobriety can do for a man in the noble and great Re-
public of the West. (Cheers.) Probably every one
of you have relatives or friends out in America, and
you are aware that there we look upon the poorest
•as equal in rights to the richest. We have no nobil-
ity there, and every man is noble who behaves him-
self. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to point
out to you Mr. Carnegie, who has risen by his own
efforts to prominence, respect, and plenty. (Cheers.)
The demonstration held to-day was one I did not ex-
pect to see from the people of Dunfermline, for they
are generally so cold, and not easily roused to enthu-
siasm. I see, however, that when you are put on
your mettle, and you are requested to turn out, you
have no hesitation in doing so in a style befitting a
prince, even although it is only to the son of a
weaver." (Cheers.)

" The Prince and Princess of Wales and the other
members of the Royal Family" were next proposed
by the Chairman, after which followed " The Army,
Navy, and Reserve Forces," coupled with the
name of

Lieutenant Martin, who, in the course of his re-
ply, stated that he had known Mr. Carnegie from
the time they were boys, and he had all along given
evidence of attaining the high position which he now
held. To the best of bis recollection, Mr. Carnegie
was at the head of every class he was in at school,
and he held a high position among the other boys of
the school. He knew that by comparison, for he had
felt it to his own disadvantage several times. The}'

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 209

had all seen a boy at the school -come out complete
from top to toe with a bit of collar over his coat of
about three inches. Such a boy was Mr. Carnegpe
— (cheers) — and what he was then he is now in all
respects. He then gave evidence of a high ambi-
tion, and he had no doubt that the success he had
attained was very much due to his having an ambi-
tious and excellent mother. (Cheers.)

Ex-Provost Mathieson next gave " The Health of
Mr. Carnegie." "You have intrusted me with a
toast," he said, "which properly, from its import-
ance, should have come from the chair, and under or-
dinary circumstances 1 would have felt it to be an ar-
duous task to propose the toast of the evening. Un-
der the circumstances, however, in Avhich we are
met to-day, I don't see that any speaking on my
part is required, as from the events which have taken
place this day there is enough to show Mr. Carnegie
the respect in which he is held by his native city —
(loud cheers) — and any remarks I might make in pro-
posing his health would only have the effect of weak-
ening any feelings that may have arisen in his bosom
from what has occurred to-day already. (Cheers.)
I think you will all agree with me when I say, that,
so far as Dunfermline is concerned, the turn-out to-
day has been one which has not been witnessed be-
fore, even by the very oldest inhabitant. (Cheers.)
I think that Mr. Carnegie was riglit when he said to-
day that it was more like an ovation given to an em-
peror on his return from his conquests than the re-
cei)tion of a private citizen visiting his native town.
(Cheers.) Now, 1 think that, so far as Mr. Carnegie
is concerned, he richly deserves the ovation he has

2IO OUR COACHING TRIP.

received. In all my historical readings— in Scotland
at least, and even abroad — F don't think that there is
aiw crowned monarch returning to his country, even
after declaring peace, that could have turned out a
procession such as we had to-day. (Cheers.) I en-
deavored to time the procession as it passed, and as
nearly as I could make out, it was more than a mile
in length, and three-quarters of that mile was com-
posed of ladies. (Laughter and cheers.) From
Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, there
has been no monarch or emperor at a procession
such as that we have seen to-day. (Cheers.) I at-
tribute it to the fact that Mr. Carnegie is a bachelor.
(Loud laughter.) On a former occasion, at a meet-
ing at which Mr. Carnegie was present, and when I
occupied the chair which the Provost now holds, I
made the remark that the only flaw in Mr. Carne-
gie's character was that he wanted a wife. (Laugh-
ter and cheers.) I attribute that very much to the
fact of his having a mother. (Laughter.) His
mother has taken good care over him, and has
showed that she does not want to hand him over to
the tender mercies of some half-cousin, or any of the
half-dozen young ladies who are with him to-day.
(Laughter.) I assure you that I was a little observ-
ant of Mr. Carnegie when the large procession of
ladies was passing, and I noticed that when any one
a little better looking than the others passed, he was
quite fascinated — (laughter and cheers)— and if some
of the American ladies fail to fascinate him, perhaps
some of the Scotch . Avill. In the events of to-day
there were some incidents of a touching character,
but there was one which indicated to me the true

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 21 1

nobility of Mr. Carneijie's mind, and that was — not
the presenting of the Baths nor the Library to the
town — but that, when passing along, he called a halt
opposite the very humble dwelling in Moodie Street
in which he first saw the light. (Loud cheers.) That
showed to me, that although the dwelling was low,
his character was high. (Renewed cheers.) Now,
I won't detain you any longer, except to say that I
hope that the inhabitants of Dunfermline who heard
Mr. Carnegie's address in the public park to-day
will take the advice he then gave, and make a good
use of the means he has given them to improve their
minds. The motto he has put over the doorway —
' Let there be light ' — means that every one who
enters the Library is to obtain light in the way of
learning ; and I hope the working classes of Dun-
fermline will take full advantage of it. (Cheers.) I
have now to ask you to drink to Mr. Carnegie's
health. His character has been well expressed in the
motto on the flag above the platform — ' The Noble-
hearted Andrew Carnegie ' — and I hope you will
now give this toast a hearty reception."

The toast was responded to with much enthusi-
asm, the ladies in the gallery rising to their feet and
waving their handkerchiefs, while the whole corn-
pan)' sang lustily, " He's a jolly good fellow."

Mr. Carnegie said, in reply : " Will you kindly
permit me Hrst to offer some kind of explanation to
my good American friends as to what this ovation
means. This procession — those thousands of come-
ly, saucy maidens — (laughter and cheers) — the trades
and all classes of Dunfermline wing with each
other ; and the very complimentary speech which

212 OUR COACHING TRIP.

my friend has felt himself justified in making-, and,
above all, the vociferous cheers with which my
mother and I have this day been greeted — (cheers) —
for it is not to be supposed that these strangers know
that every one who has the good fortune to claim
this spot on earth as his birthplace is received when
he returns from exile with such warmth and affec-
tion, as needs very little excuse to burst forth in
such a demonstration as that which we have this day
witnessed — (loud cheers) — this reception, I say, is in
no sense personal, for neither my mother nor myself
would be able to appear here to-day if we were
not enabled to see clearly that for the moment we
but S3'mbolize the intense love and devotion which
every true son and every true daughter of Dunferm-
line bears to this lovely spot of earth — the ancient
metropolis of Scotland — which we all love so well.
(Prolonged cheers.) Sij», my first duty is now, on
behalf of my good mother, to tender to the mem-
bers of the Free Library Committee her heartfelt,
deep, and earnest thanks for the large share as-
signed to her in this day's proceedings. (Cheers.)
The future historian of Dunfermline, writing her
annals, perhaps a thousand years hence — the Dr.
Henderson of that jDcriod — must, and will, record
that on this day, amid the brightest of sunshine
and the plaudits of assembled thousands, m}' mother
was privileged to rank her name with the annals
of her native town in, perhaps, the most endur-
ing of all forms which it is possible to devise. Be-
liev^e me when I sa}^ that in her estimation and in
that of her sons — the one absent as well as the one
who now addresses you — no honor which Queen

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 213

Victoria has it in her power to bestow could rank
with this. (Loud cheers.) And, gentlemen— I beg
pardon, ladies, for it is most agreeable to me as a
bachelor to find ladies present to honor us at this
banquet — believe me, that deep as is our attachment,
unbounded our admiration, for the great and glori-
ous Republic of the West— (cheers) — that laiid which
said to -my parents, with outstretched arms, ' Come,
be with us, be of us, and share on equal terms with
the most favored of our own children the magnifi-
cent heritage with which we are blessed ' — (renewed
cheers) — that country which has taken and so grand-
ly nursed us in her generous bosom — (cheers) — say-
ing to us, ' Here there is no kingcraft, no priest-
craft, no law of primogeniture and entail, no
proud hereditary rank above implying your infe-
riority below ' — I say, deep and unbounded as
our love fr)r that land is, still, my friends, Scot-
land is our own, our native land (cheers) ; and
still is Dunfermline our home and all which that
sacred word implies. (Renewed cheers.) I said to-
dav that in America we care not whence a man
springs ; our Lincoln was a rail-splitter, and our Gar-
field a boy on the canal. But permit me now to tell
you that it is a sweet and gracious thing to come to
one's home, where we know our fathers and grand-
fathers lived. And, to-day, when driving up to the
town, one of the most charming of young ladies
stopped us, and kindly handed me a bouquet. On the
little card was written, ' From the College of Paties-
muir. ' (Laughter and cheers.) Many of you are old
enough to remember the College of Patiesmuir, and
you have all heard of it. (Laughter.) Well, sir, if I

2 14 OUR COACHING TRIP.

am proud of anything I am proud of my lineage, and
my grandfather was professor at the College of Paties-
muir. (Great laughter.) But I have something else
to be proud of on the other side, because you knew
my grandfather, Thomas Morrison, and you knew
my uncle, Thomas Morrison — (cheers) — and you
remember the Bailie. (Renewed cheers.) My
friends, I have been very much afraid that Scotland
had slipped back in the matter of education ; but I
am delighted to tell you that in my progress through
Scotland, nothing has given me greater satisfaction
than to see the new and beautiful schools, with the
masters' houses adjoining— showing to the world
that Scotland is not disposed to yield even to
America supremacy in the important duty of pro-
viding education for her children, and that she
intends that the weapons which have hitherto
been wielded so successfull}^ as to create the unu-
sual stir which three and a half millions of her
sons have made throughout the world shall be so
wielded in the future, and that her sons shall go
forth as well equipped for the battle of life as any —
thus making sure that Scotland will continue to con-
tribute her full share to the progress of the world.
(Loud cheers.) Nothing has given me greater pleas-
ure than the meeting in Dunfermline, at which all
ranks and classes, vying with each other — the pulpit,
the press, the learned professions, and that of medi-
cine and the general people — accepted the Free Libra-
ries Act in the most harmonious and enthusiastic
manner. Now, this is what I hope will exist in Dun-
fermline,, that whatever differences you may have on
political subjects — and all your discussions in Dun-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 215

fermline are of the very liveliest kind — (laughter) —I
ho]3e that when )^ou enter the threshold of this Free
Library, you will all shake hands and agree to be
brothers. I hope you will cherish and encourage it,
and hold it as dear to you as the name and fame of
Dunfermline, which we all so much love and admire.
(Cheers.) For m3'self, permit me to say that I have
never, during all my life, given funds for any insti-
tution of a public nature with feelings of such unal-
loyed satisfaction as those which prompted me to
give them for this Free Library. (Loud cheers.)
There is in most enterprises of a charitable nature
a suspicion that the good to be produced from them
may not be real, but with regard to this Free Library,
I know^ it can work no evil, and I do know it must
work lasting good. (Cheers.) In the changes which
must come, agencies to which at present we attach
great importance may be discarded, and new agen-
cies, of which to-day we know nothing, may arise,
which will produce great results ; but of this I am
convinced that whatever may rise or whatever
may fall, the Free Library will stand a never-failing
fountain of good to all the inhabitants of Dunferm-
line. (Prolonged cheers.) Therefore I feel that it
is among the blessings for which I have to thank a
kind Providence, that the proud privilege has been
reserved to me to found a Free Library in my native
town." (Loud and prolonged cheers, during which
Mr. Carnegie resumed his seat.)

Mr. W. Iiiglis said : " It falls to my lot to propose
a most interesting and important toast. Indeed, I
feel convinced, notwithstanding all that has been
said, and so well said, by ex-Provost Mathieson, and

2i6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

by the gallant Colonel previous, that my toast is in
reality the toast of the evening. (Cheers.) I feel sure
that for once in my life everybody will agree with
me in this. I have now to propose ' The Health of
Mrs. Carnegie,' mother of our distinguished guest.
(Cheers.) 1 am sure we are all delighted to see her
present on this occasion ; and, indeed, my opinion
is that this meeting would not have been half so in-
teresting or half so imposing as it is had she not
been present. (Cheers.) If she is not the proudest
woman and the happiest mother this day in the whole
world, I certainly think she ought to be (cheers) ; for
to few mothers falls the pleasant duty which we have
seen so gracefully performed by Mrs. Carnegie a lit-
tle while ago. Not many mothers have such a son
to be proud of (cheers), and I may also say that not
many sons hav€ such a mother. (Renewed cheers.)
Personally, I have very little acquaintance or knowl-
edge of Mrs. Carnegie, but without any one telling
me anything about her I venture to say, and I do
so with all confidence, that Mr. Carnegie owes much
to his mother. It is a fact well known by all, that
most men wdio have risen to eminence, or have
attained a high position of anv kind, have been
greatly indebted to the loving and constant influ-
ence of their mother. (Cheers.) This, I have no
doubt, has been the case with Mr. Carnegie. Allow
me to sav, that the influence of a good mother is
such that good and worthy sons such as Mr. Carne-
gie are proud of, and know how to value. (Cheers.)
I think our guest did well when he suggested to t^e
members of the Free Library Committee that his
mother should lay the memorial stone of the very

BKIGHTOX rO INVERNESS. 217

handsome building which he has so generously gift-
ed to his fellow-townsmen. In doing so, I think he
honored himself as well as honored his worthy and
respected mother ; for in doing so, he manifested a
trait of character which we cannot Ipnt admire, and
which we would all do Avell to imitate, (Cheers.)
The Free Library will alwa3's, in my opinion, be as-
sociated in the minds of the Dunfermline people with
the beautiful affection existing between ]Mrs. Carne-
gie and her son. (Cheers.) The Library will prove
a great power in refining, elevating, and educating
the people, and I am very glad, indeed, to think that
the people of Dunfermline have endeavored to show
their gratitude to Mr. Carnegie for his handsome
gifts. (Cheers.) I ask you now to get to your feet,
and drink with all enthusiasm the health of Mrs.
Carnegie."

The toast was most enthusiastically responded
to.

INIr. Phipps, with whose name it was coupled,
said: " Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen, it gives
me great pleasure to reply to this toast. I onl}^ re-
gret my inability to do so in the manner I should
like to do. The subject is here, the occasion is
here, and the orator only is lacking. Since my early
childhood to the present time it has been my good
fortune to be vminterruptedly on the most friendly
terms with the good lady whom we to-day delight
to honor. Her home to me has been a second
home, and she has been to me like a mother, and her
sons like brothers ; and, therefore, you will appreci-
ate the fact when I state it, that I feel all the diffi-
dence and backwardness that one would feel in

2 1 8 OUR CO A CHING TRIP.

speaking of a near and dear relative. It is like
praising one's own. (Applause.) When a young
child, Mrs. Carnegie taught me how to tell the time
of day ; in later years, endeavored to teach me the
value of time. Like household words I have listened
to Mrs. Carnegie telling, in a manner pleasant and
suited to a childish ear, the first stories I ever heard
of Scottish history — the noble, valorous deeds of
' Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled,' the tales of
Bruce, and others. How deeply they sank into the
young minds of those who listened ! Whenever I
think of patriotism^of love of country — Mrs. Car-
negie is to me the representative. With what pleas-
ure the neighbors' children would listen with bright
eyes to Mrs. Carnegie reciting from memory por-
tions of the ' Lady of the Lake,' ' Marmion,' and
other poems. I can assure you Robbie Burns was
not forgotten. ' A man's a man for a' that,' ' John
Anderson my Jo, John,' and many other pieces,
were familiar to the children of the neighborhood
long before they could read them. Mrs. Carnegie's
was the home where many friends delighted to visit
— her heart was kind to young and old, and her mind
entertaining to all. With what pleasure she spoke
of her native land ! Scotland always seemed to be
in her mind, and she never forgot Dunfermline. Is
it to be wondered at that, when with her eldest son
I first landed in this interesting ancient city, I felt
as though I was treading my own native soil ? If it
was not my land, it was my friend's land — it was my
partner's land — and I felt and claimed an interest in
it. We will not allow Scotland alone to claim Sir
Walter Scott and Robert Burns any more than we

BRIGFITON TO INVERNESS. 219

will allow England to claim Shakespeare— these gods
among men are ours ; they are the world's. Noble
sentiments, once uttered, are no longer the property
of one people or one nation— they are tha property
of the world. We glory in them and claim them ;
they are ours — ours to cherish and love. The early
stories the kind neighbor and friend had told me
came rushing back to memory, and I thanked her in
my heart. I speak of self, but to the circle of friends
she was always alike kind and good, and to all the
neighborhood she was widely known for kindness,
for her good judgment, for her liberality in lending
or giving from her little store. If assistance of any
kind was needed, it was Mrs. Carnegie who was
sought for. (Applause.) No lady whom I have
known has so wide a circle of friends — rich and poor,
high and low — and to all she is alike kind, and by all
classes beloved and respected. (Applause.) Mrs.
Carnegie has lived for her sons. What but her affec-
tion for her family could have induced her to tear
herself away from other near kindred and her other
dear friends, her native land, the scenes of her child-
hood ? Why, she must have suffered greatly in sun-
dering those dear tics ; but, however painfid, self
was not considered, ' the New World promised a
wider field for her sons. Those who have only trav-
elled on the best steamers of the present day can
but little imagine the difficulties, the pains, the dan-
gers, that beset an Atlantic journey in those early
days, and, as they must have been, the long, weary
weeks of passage, instead of, as now, onl}- days ;
poor sailor as I am, I would ahnost as soon have
gone down as across. (Laughter.) But this sacri-.

2 20 OUR COACHING TRIP.

fice was nothing to Mrs. Carnegie — she was not to be
deterred by what to many would seem like insur-
mountable obstacles. Mrs. Carnegie has lived for her
sons^ — -her self-denial, her teachings, are worthy of all
praise. (Applause.) Many a touching tale could be
told of her self-sacrificing labors, how she toiled
early and late, and how in many ways she denied
herself, that her boys might benefit, and nobly have
her sons repaid her. The one here to-day has lived
for his mother, and his mother has lived for him.
Like the Roman matron, Mrs. Carnegie ma}^ well
point to her sons and say, ' These are my jewels ; '
may every mother in the land say the same. (Ap-
plause.) The donations- which Mr. Carnegie has
made, small and large, in the past and in the present,
are but the natural growth and outcome of the benev-
olence and liberality of his loved mother. Aye, to
her teachings is he not only indebted for this open-
handedness, but he is fully as much indebted to her
for his ability to be liberal. 'Tis from his noble
mother he mherits the talent to acquire means, as
well as the disposition to do good with it. All who
know the mother and sons, know how much in men-

t

tal qualities they resemble each other. (Applause.)
On the steamer a little incident occurred; a mock trial
was held, the defendant was thought to be in for it,
but he wisely called Mrs. Carnegi-e for his counsel,
and, despite the opposition of her son, who used his
best argument to procure conviction, against the de-
fender was arrayed the whole table. The claimant
and his case were very popular, but, notwithstanding,
the good old lady not only cleared the defendant,
but cleared him triumphantly, and the universal ver-

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 221

diet of that company was that the son owed to his
mother his talent in argument, and many a good
story could be told how profitable this talent has
been made b}^ the son. There is but one lad}^ I
know in the world to whom I would more readily
go for advice, and none to whom I could with greater
advantage apply. This is the way all her friends
feel. The ability which has enabled the sons to give
employment to thousands- -the enterprises which
have benefited Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania,
which have made comfortable the homes of so
many, and which have quenched not a few, which
have scattered plenty and happiness around — this
ability has come from the lady who is the subject of
our toast, and from the sainted father, as well as the
mother, comes equally the poetic taste, the love of
fairness, friendship, liberality, and the love of justice
and of right, and which has made the son's word as
good as a bond. I cannot help saying, ' God bless
all good fathers and mothers.' What a noble object
they have in life to live for, and how well they may
be repaid ! (Applause.) America is a fine climate ;
here is a lady who has undergone the fatigue of
coaching from Brighton to Dunfermline. Vou can
all appreciate how laborious it must have been, but
no complaint, no breaking down ; fresh and as lively
as the youngest, she has continued the journey, and
will no doubt continue to the end. Can any lady
surpass it in all Dunfermline? At Mrs. Carnegie's
advanced age, it would seem evident that transplant-
ing is a good thing, and that a residence of more
than a third of a century in that hot and cold coun-
tz-y, the United States, does not diminish strength,
15

2 22 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Try it ; come to America ; we want the canny,
thrifty Scotch, an' we canna get too muckle o' them.
(Laughter.) Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us
all a farm, I cannot svifficiently express, for our
honored friend, the pleasure, the great gratification,
-and the joy which this day properly affords her. No
object which could, perhaps, be set did so well meet
Mrs. Carnegie's views as a Free Library. It will
afford to all one of the purest and best of pleasures ;
few can compare with it, and for instruction none
can surpass. If I had consulted Mrs. Carnegie on
the subject, I feel sure she would have directed me
to say to the young particularly, ' Make a good use
of the books, read them carefully, lay to heart and
benefit by their good teachings.' Let the books of
her acquaintance, and her son's friend, Mr. Samuel
Smiles, have a good place on the shelves, and in the
popularity of the readers such books as Smiles'
' Industrial Biographies,' ' Self- Help,' ' Thrift,' and
others, cannot fail to benefit, to improve, to make
stronger in the battle of life, every thoughtful reader.
In closing, I would say that if Mrs. Carnegie was
addressing you she would no doubt express the hope
that the library may be to her native city all the
donor could ask for. I thank you on behalf of Mrs.
Carnegie for your kindness to her, and beg to assure
you that this day is, and ever will be, the brightest of
bright days of her long and useful life. " (Applause.)
The Rev. Mr. Dunbar : " To me has been intrust-
ed the very honorable duty of commending to your
best feelings and hopes ' The Carnegie Free Li-
brary.' (Cheers.) I am very glad to believe that
that is a matter which will so easily come to the

BRIGHTON TO INVEFNESS. 223

hearts of you all, for it is to me a very light duty to
commend it unto you. Brevity is commonly said to
be the soul of wit, and 1 think that this evening when
we have so many toasts on the programme, all of
first-class importance and interest, the proverb is ex-
ceptionally true. But although brevity is thus
necessary, I cannot allow this matter to pass without
speaking two words. The first of them is this, that
I have the greatest pleasure in cc^mmending this
toast to your cordial reception, because it concerns
a library. 1 don't think that my training in life has
been of such a kind as to make me underrate a valu-
able collection of books, seeing that I have all along
been occupied in reading books from almost, you
• might say, my birth ; and no words Avhich I could
use, however warm, can sufficientl}' express the joy
and gratification which I and we all feel to-day in
having laid the memorial stone of a building which
is to contain a vast treasure open to the appreciation
of the inhabitants of this town. (Cheers.) I have
no doubt that in this librarj- there will be books
representing the literature of man}- countries ; but
even were we to go no farther than our own coun-
try, and have only British literature, our library
would be a great treasure indeed. The British race

try

is a strong and sturdy race, and our conquests in
peace and war are known to the whole world ; but
among the noblest of our conquests, I think we may
put down our rare English literature. (Cheers.)
For one thing, it is w^ritten in a language which, if
a philologcr or philosopher looks at for the first
time, is said to be the most difficult and curious in
the w^hole world ; but, notwithstanding its peculiar-

224 OUR COACHING TRIP.

itj, there is a pith and a power in our language
which have been making their own way all the world
over ; and I believe that the day shall come when,
by dint of perseverance, our language shall become
the universal language of mankind. (Cheers.) In
this curious yet powerful language, we have a liter-
ature Avhich is surpassed by no language which any
man ever spoke or wrote in ; and the presentation of
this Library to. As means that there will be thrown
open to the acquisition of all our people — if they care
to put themselves to the necessary trouble to enter*into
it — this magnificent heritage, which has come down
to us by the genius and labors of our illustrious ances-
tors. (Cheers.) I am sure that we will respond
heartily to the appeal that Mr. Carnegie has himself
made, and that we will treasure the Library and use
it with all diligence. Now, for my second word to
commend this toast to you. I cannot help comi,
mending this toast with all heartiness, on account of
Mr. Carnegie. (Cheers.) I have no wish to trespass
on other people's property in his remarks, but I can-
not forget that this is not a Library merely, but the
' Carnegie Free Library,' which has been given to
us by the large-hearted generosity of one of our own
citizens. (Cheers.) I think we all feel that not only
in the matter of this gift of the Library we have cause
to love and admire Mr. Carnegie, but in others as
Avell, and the good qualities and abilities which he
possesses. (Cheers.) I speak with some personal
knowledge of Mr. Carnegie, for we seem to have the
faculty of running up against each other every now
and again — at Cairo, for example, Wolverhampton,
and other places ; and he one day remarked, in re-

I

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 225

gard to this, that surely it must be intended by
Providence that he was appointed to be the
means of doing- me » some good. (Laughter and
cheers.) I have always had a high respect for Mr.
Carnegie, on account of his excellent qualities in
head and heart. We are all proud of him, and we
receive this Library very heartily, because it comes
from him, and we all join in one ardent hope and
prayer that it will continue. to be of great benefit to
the inhabitants of the spot which gave him birth."
(Cheers.)

Mr. Ross: " I felt very highly honored when I
was asked to propose the toast of ' Tjie Strangers' to
this meeting ; but I must confess I felt my occupa-
tion was gone this afternoon when I saw the recep-
tion these honored strangers received from the citi-
zens of Dunfermline as they entered the public park
in their triumphal car. When one talks of strangers
it is with feelings of sympathy, and we are disposed
to remember the story of the ancient Gideonites,
who entered another city — not Dunfermline — long
ago on donkey carts, with clothes torn, and water
very putrid. It was not so with the strangers we
saw to-day, and I think you will agree with me that
Dunfermline has already responded to the toast of
' The Strangers.' (Cheers.) Those ladies and gentle-
men who are accompanying our friend, Mr. Carne-
gie, on his visit to this town, can no longer be char-
acterized as strangers, but as intimate friends, not
only of Mr. Carnegie, but of the whole inhabitants
of Dunfermline. (Cheers.) I think these ladies and
srentlemen must have felt very much pleased with
the reception they received, and I can assure them

2 20 OUR COACHING TRIP.

that they saw to-day what no visitors ever saw be-
fore— the whole of the population of Dunfermline
turning out to do honor to them. Colonel Myers
has said that Dunfermline was a rather cold place,
and the Colonel to some extent is perfectly right.
It is, however, only partially true, because Dunferm-
line was a hot place as well, as was evinced to-day
by the hearty reception Mr. Carnegie and his friends
received. I don't know much about Mr. Cai»negie's
friends, but they come here with a good guarantee,
with a preconceived notion in their favor in the fact
that they are with Mr. Carnegie, for we all know
that Mr. Carnegie would not bring any but the
cream of America. (Cheers.) Perhaps in them we
are entertaining angels unawares — (laughter and
cheers) — and I can promise the visitors that they
Avillnot be able to find a burgh which combines such
ancient lineage with such busy life now as Dunferm-
line. They would be shown, likely to-morrow, the
residences and the tombs of the most ancient kings
of the country. They will also see our manufact-
ures, which are keeping pace with the wants of the
time, and supplying our American brethren with
good linen ; while we, in our turn, derive many
good things from America. I hope that the stran-
gers, have been enjoying their journey, and I have no
doubt but that they will be able to look back upon
their visit to Dunfermline as one of the brightest
spots of their pilgrimage. (Cheers.) If I may be
allowed, I would hke to alter the toast from ' The
Strangers' to 'Our Cousins,' coupled with the
name of Mr. McCargo." (Cheers.)

Mr. McCargo said : " 1 am verj^ ghid to know that

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 227

you don't consider us strangers. I have heard of
Dunfermline, it seems to me, from the first time I
heard of anything. Mr. Carnegie lias been my most
intimate friend all my hfe ; and there is nothing that
excels Dunfermline in his estimation, and I may say
also in mine too. (Laughter and cheers.) I have
also imbibed the deepest affection for Dunfermline
from his dear mother ; and to-day, when I was rid-
ing through your streets, it recalled to my memory
all the conversations that I have had with Mr. Car-
negie in my early youth about Dunfermline. He
was so wrapt up in Dunfermline, that on all possible
occasions he dwelt on the people of Dunfermlme and"
the beauty of the country, that I thought you cer-
tainly must be a kindly people to inspire such a very
deep affection in Mr. Carnegie and his dear mother.
Now, I must confess 1 am very much in love with
vou as well. (Laughter and cheers.) I don't feel
that I am a stranger, and I am of Scotch extraction.
(Cheers.) It has been a delightfid visit for us to
come to this country and see the land that we have
heard of so often and read so much about. (Cheers.)
You can imagine our feelings when the heather, the
bluebell, the broom, and the whin bushes were
shown to us. These arc things wc have heard of
since our childhood, and we have all been delighted
to see them now. We have had a delightfid visit
here. It has been a constant ovation, but there is
nothing that equals our reception to-day. I feel
very proud of Mr. Carnegie because I love him, and I
think you simply express his character exactly when
you speak of him as the noble-hearted Andrew Car-
negie. He is full (^f love for his fellow-men. He has

228 ' OUR COACHING TRIP.

imbibed those ideas from your authors — Burns,
Scott, the Ettrick Shepherd, and many others. The
company with whom I am are fully delighted with
the reception we have received here. We have had
a delightful time of it, and shall remember this day
all our lives. You have been very kind." (Cheers.)
Mr. Carnegie next proposed " The Town and
Trade of Dunfermline," and in doing so said : If the
large number of people they had seen that day de-
pended upon the town and trade of Dunfermline, he
was sure they could not approach this toast without
some serious thought. Now, he was pleased to
'learn that notwithstanding the depression which
had prevailed in all countries with which he was
familiar, the trade of Dunfermline had suffered
less than any other of which he had knowledge.
(Cheers.) He did not except from the statement so
rich a land as that of the American Republic, for the
depression there for years had much surpassed any-
thing of which, he was happy to say, the town of
Dunfermline had any knowledge for perhaps ten or
fifteen years. He asked the gentlemen who were
responsible for the trade of the town to take a little
bit of advice from him. (Cheers.) They all knew
that he had the prosperity of Dunfermline deep at
heart, and he was going to call one of the chief sin-
ners to reply to the toast. There had been quite -
enough of extension in recent years of the trade of
Dunfermline, and if they would have a steady *and
profitable trade they must take care and ca' canny.
(Laughter.) He did not say that because he was at
all apprehensive that the American demand would
cease for their products. America, like every other

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 229

great country in the world, made efforts to supply its
own wants in iron, steel, and woollen goods, and in
manufactures generally. She would never relax her
efforts until she was master of the situation, and
supplied all her great people's needs. He was de-
lighted to say that he excepted from that statement
the damask trade of Dunfermline — for there had
been no effort in America as yet to interfere with
their trade here — and when they went home to
America he could safely promise that he and his
friends would do their utmost to preserve to the
bonny lassies they had seen that day the American
market for Dunfermline damask. (Loud cheers.)

Councillor Donald, with whose name the toast,
was coupled, made a long reply. He was glad of
the opportunity of replying, for he felt a very deep
interest in the town and trade of Dunfermline, and it
would be very strange indeed if he felt otherwise.
It Ayas certainly very becoming of Mr. Carnegie to
propose the toast, because, to a large extent, the
trade, and consequently the town, depended upon
the United States of America. He supposed that
nearly two-thirds of the goods were sent out there.
Mr. Carnegie had mentioned that in order to have a
steady and profitable trade, we should ca' canny,
but in his opinion this was not a time to ca' canny,
but to be up and doing — (cheers) — more especially
as Mr. Carnegie had told them that the people on
the other side of the water were likely to do a great
deal more by-and-bye in sup})l3'ing themselves. He
was glad to be able to say that as yet the Americans
had done very little in the way of linen manufacturing.
They had prospered in every other line, but in that

230 OUR COACHING TRIP.

they have not made much progress. He was not
afraid of the citizens of America, so far as their own
trade was concerned. He remembered some twenty-
five years ago when he first landed at New York,
that in the leading stores of that city, in Philadel-
phia and in Boston, he saw the damask linen of
Dunfermline being largely sold, but he was sorry to
say that on this visit he did not find that their goods
were so thoroughly taken hold of as in these days
long ago. He found instead that the principal
articles in the linen department of the trade were
not from Dunfermline, but were from German and
Irish manufacturers. They had therefore to com-
pete now with the German and Irish manufacturers.
This was not the case before the Exhibition of 1851,
but from that date the Germans, French, and the
Irish were endeavoring to outstrip them, and they
must take care that they did not do them out of
the trade altogether. (Cheers.) As to the town,
he did not think that Mr. Carnegie expected to see
such a fine-looking town, and especially so many fine
ladies. (Laughter.) Most of these ladies were
power-loom workers, and they were the people who
must help them to compete with the Germans and
Irish in supplying the Americans with good linen.
(Cheers.)

Bailie Seath then proposed " The Health of the
Architect." Mr. Walker, he said, was a gentleman
well known among them now, and his works spoke
for themselves. They had only to look at the Cor-
poration Buildings to see what manner of structure
he was qualified to rear, and he thought the Carne-
gie Free Library Committee had done a good thing

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 231

in selecting Mr. Walker to design the building.
The building, which was now being erected, would
form an ornament to the town, as well as a noble
example of the generosity of Mr. Carnegie ; and
every one had now an opportunity of seeing what
the building was likely to be. (Applause.)

Ex- Provost Mathieson replied on behalf of Mr.
Walker, who had to leave for Edinburgh with the
last train.

Mr. W\ Inglis, in proposing " The Health of
Provost Walls," said there never was a greater dem-
onstration in Dunfermline before, and they had
never had a greater occasion to hold one before.
(Cheers.) W'hen he saw the very large procession
that day, he felt perfectly proud of the people of
Dunfermline. (Cheers.) He was always hopeful
that they would rise to a sense of the munificence of
Mr. Carnegie in a manner that would show that they
really appreciated the kindness and the generosity
of their distinguished citizen — (cheers) — and to the
labors of the Provost was due, in a large degree,
the success of the demonstration.

The Provost suitably acknowledged the toast.

Mr. W. Brown, in a neat speech, proposed the
health of the " Croupiers," which was acknowledged
by ex-Provost Mathieson.

Mr. Carnegie said they Vould pardon him if he
transgressed from the order of the banquet, as he
would like to be permitted to propose " The Health
of his friend Bailie Walker." (Cheers.) He got the
Press and Journal every week, and he noticed that in
their local Parliament there was a man who — a i^awky
and canny man — often uttered some words of good

232 OUR COACHING TRIP.

common sense — this man was BailieWalker. (Cheers.)
He knew them all and read their speeches in the
Press when, sometimes, perhaps, he ought to be doing
something better ; and he must say that there was
no reading which furnished him with so much pleas-
ure and— amusement (laughter and cheers), as the
proceedings of the Municipal Parliament of the
ancient Metropolis of Scotland (renewed laughter and
cheers), generally known by the name of Dunferm-
line. He knew that Bailie Walker would say some
sensible thing in reply, and he asked them to drink
to the health of .Bailie Walker, (Cheers.)

Bailie Walker, in returning thanks, said he had
been very much delighted that day till within the
last five minutes. (Laughter.) If there was any
drawback on his part in coming to meetings, it was
in the way of making speeches, which he could not
do. As Mr. Carnegie, however, spoke about his
pawkiness, he supposed that the best way to show
his pawkiness was to be as short as possible. He
had, therefore, only to return his sincere thanks to
the company for so cordially drinking his health.
(Laughter and applause.)

During the evening a number of songs were ren-
dej^ed by several gentlemen, and at the conclusion
of the toast list, " Auld Lang Syne" was sung by
the company, after whith the meeting broke up a
little after nine o'clock.

CARNEGIE BATHS.

GRAND SWIMMING COMPETITION.
On Thursday evening, a grand swimming com-
petition took place in the baths, under the auspices

BRIGHTON- TO INVERNESS. 233

of the Carnegie Swimming Club. There was a large
attendance of spectators, and among those present
were — ex- Provost IMathieson, who presided ; Mr.
Carnegie (the generous donor of the baths, and who
on entering received a hearty reception) ; Mr. H.
Phipps, Jr. (Mr. Carnegie's partner) ; Mr. D.
McCargo, Mr. G, F. McCandless, Mr. B. Vande-
vort, Mr. A. King, all Mr. Carnegie's American
friends ; Provost Walls, Bailies Walker and Steed-
man ; Councillors Donald, Beveridge, Currie, Al-
ston, and Clark ; Messrs. Reid, Brucefield, J. Drum-
mond, G. Lauder, W. Simpson, \V. Reid, Jr., J. and
G. Mathewson, W. Wilson, G. Birrell, A. Martin,
W. Wilson, Glasgow ; J. Hay, etc.

The Chairman opened the proceedings by mak-
ing a few remarks, in which he expressed his pleas-
ure at seeing such a large turn-out to welcome Mr.
Carnegie. Everything connected with the estab-
lishment had been the creation of Mr. Carnegie (ap-
plause), and even the means for the performance of
the proceedings there that 'night had been provided
by that gentleman also. (Renewed applause.) The
Committee of the Swimming Club were highly de-
lighted to see INIr, Carnegie among them again in
very good health and spirits. (Applause.) Every-
thing seemed to be favoring him in his journey from
the south to the north. He *did not think that Mr.
Carnegie could have got a better day than yesterday,
and although this day was wet and disagreeable, he
had no doubt it was only preparatory to a good day
on the morrow, to enable Mr. Carnegie to resume
his journey. They had been getting their weather
regulated lately from America, and he had no doubt

234 OUR COACHING TRIP.

that Mr. Carnegie had been telegraphing to the clerk
of the weather there the names of the places he was
going to stop at, so that he might get a dry day
whenev^er he pleased. (Laughter and applause.)
He had now, on behalf of the Carnegie Swimming
Club, to present Mr. Carnegie with two documents
— one of them being the rules of the Carnegie Swim-
ming Club, and the other a life ticket. (Laughter
and applause.) He hoped that Mr. Carnegie would
long live to see the swimming in the Carnegie Pond.
(Applause.)

The programme was then proceeded with.
There was a large number of competitors for each-
event, and the competition proved to be the best
ever held under the auspices of the Society. There
were thirteen events, and the spectators watched
with keen interest the different races. The pro-
gramme was carried through with much dispatch,
and the arrangements made for the competition were
all that could be desired. The principal event of the
evening was the lOO yards fast-swimming race — the
first prize for which was a handsome medal, pre-
sented by Mr. Carnegie, and which was won by G.
Wilson. The following are the winners :

Boys' four lengths race, heats (open) — i, J.
Millen ; 2, D. Balingall ; 3, D. MT^aren. Four
lengths breast stroke race, heats (open) — i, P. Don-
ald ; 2, G. Wallace ; 3, A. Colville. Long distance
diving, adults — i, W. Todd; 2, C, E. Stewart; 3, W.
Brown. Two lengths flying handicap race, heats
(open) — I, W. Christie ; 2, P. Donald ; 3, G. Wilson
and J. Ta^dor, equal. Object diving, adults — i, W,
Brown, 13 ; .2, G. Wilson, 11 ; 3, C. E. Stewart, 9.

BRIGHTON TO IXVERNESS. 235

Back race two lengths (open) — i, J. Taylor ; 2, P.

Donald ; 3, W. Brown. Boys' distance diving (open)

— I, A. Cant ; 1, P. Wright ; 3, J. jNIillen. 100 yards

fast-swimming race, adults (confined) — i, G. Wilson ;

2, W. Christie. Boys' hurdle race, two lengths

(open) — I, P. Mollison ; 2, A. Stewart ; 3, G. Millen ;

4, D. M'Larcn. Boys' two lengths flying handicap

race (open) — i, P. Mollison ; 2, T. Balingall ; 3, J.

Millen. Clothes race, two lengths (open) — i, P.

Donald ; 2, C. E. Stewart ; 3, A. Colville. Blindfold

race, six times across the bath (open) — i, D. Brown;

2, G. Wilson ; 3 A, M'Cansh. Amusing tub race —

I, R. Williamson ; 2, D. Brown ; 3, C. E. Stewart.

At the conclusion of the competition, the Chair-
man asked Mr. Carnegie to say a few words.

Mr. Carnegie then said : " It is my pleasant duty
to-night to ask you to return a vote of thanks to Mr,
Mathieson for presiding here this evening. (Ap-
plause.) No duty could be more pleasant than that,
because he is the man who from the first consented
to act as President of the Swimming Club. This
exhibition we have witnessed not only with pleasure
but with real surprise. (Applause.) It is a hard mat-
ter at all times to get a gentleman in ex-Provost
Mathieson's position to assume the responsibility of
the Presidency of a new society ; but I venture to
say that you will have much less difficulty in procur-
ing a successor for the Presidency of the Carnegie
Swimming Club — if ever it is necessary to obtain a
successor — to ex- Provost ]Mathieson, which I am
sure we all hope will not be for many long years to
come. (Applause.) Sir, I think I may venture to
congratulate you also upon being President of a club

2^6 OUR COACHING TRIP.

which can do such feats as we have just seen the
Carnegie Swimming Club perform. (Applause.) In
these days, I hear a great deal npon this side of the
water of the loss of empire over the land which
is impending over Great Britain. In that kind of
talk I take no share whatever, because I think that
the world is not done with Great Britain, and I am
quite sure that Great Britain is not done with the
world. (Applause.) I think that the empire which
Britain may have over the earth in the future will be
of a different character from that it has hitherto pos-
sessed ; and I firmly believe, at the same time, that
it will be an empire of a higher order — not so much
of a physical, but more of a mental character than
she has ever exerted upon the destinies of mankind.
(Applause.) But however we may differ about that,
I think there is one element upon which her suprem-
acy is not likely to be questioned, and that is the
water. (Applause.) I think that Great Britain will
continue to rule the waves (applause) about as long
as I should like to prophecy any nation would rule
anything ; and I think that it is incumbent for that
reason that the sons of Great Britain should learn to
be at home in the waves which we expect them to
continue to rule. However, there is no longer any
question about this, that Dunfermline has begun to
see the advantage, and she will no doubt soon recog-
nize the duty, of teaching all her sons to feel this
confidence at least, that they were not born to be
drowned. (Laughter and applause.) Let me tell
you what happened the other day. A boat which
had been sailing and had furled its sails was upset.
In that boat there was an elderly gentleman, his

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 237

wife, and his eldest son. They were icxd yards from
footing, and they were, of course, confused by being
thrown into the water — there being a rope roiind the
neck of the lady, and one of the gentlemen being en-
tangled in the sail. Nevertheless they swam, sup-
porting each other, to land (applause) and they live
to-day, because every one of them had in youth
learned the art, and I don't hesitate to say the duty,
of knowing how to support himself in the water.
(Renewed applause.) Who was that man .^ It was
your own city's most distinguished son, Sir Noel
Paton. The lady was Lady Paton, and the other
was his son, Victor. (Applause.) I hope this lesson
will be taken to heart by the good people of Dun-
fermline. There is one suggestion I should make to
the President. It is this, what we have seen to-
night have been the performances of young men.
Now, I have resided in a young country most of my
life, and I am one of those who believe that a young
country can teach some things to old countries. I
find also that young men have sometimes some
things to teach old men, and I have now to suggest
that I should be most happy to provide the prizes
for, say, a Bailies' race. (Laughter and applause.)
We miijht also allow Provosts and ex Provosts to
enter (laughter), giving them a start of three or four
seconds. (Renewed laughter.) I would beg fur-
ther to suggest, subject to your approval, that to
every Town Councillor who would say, ' As sure's
death, I never want to be a Bailie,' we should give
a start of seven or eight seconds (loud laughter), and
if there was a Bailie who would sav, ' As sure's
death, I never want to be Provost,' 1 should give
16

238 OUR COACHING TRIP..

him any start he liked. (Great laughter.) I would
like to know whether that suggestion meets the ap-
proval of the young men of the Carnegie Swimming
Club. (Loud applause.) Then, I think, we may
consider the Bailies' race settled ; and in order that
they all may have a fair chance I give them warning
now, that upon my next return to Dunfermline I ex-
pect to see a splendid race of Bailies. (Applause.)
I now thank the Carnegie Swimming Club for the
copy of their rules, and the ticket they have present-
ed me, and I assure them it is an honor to have these
buildings named after myself. As for the President,
I am willing to divide the honors with him on most
liberal terms, because he does all the work and I get
the greater part of the credit. I only want to say,
in conclusion, that I am sure that you have shown
these gentlemen from America that if they can boast
of their vast prairies and broad lands, that some
things have been done here to-night that it would
puzzle any city in America to equal. ' ' (Loud applause. )
The Chairman thanked Mr, Carnegie for the
compliment he had paid him ; and which, had he
known all, was rather unmerited, for since he had
acted as President the Committee had done all the
work. He had looked on at the Committee doing
the work, and of course expressed great approval.
(Laughter.) He hoped that from that night they
would have a large additional number of names
added to the membership of the Club ; and from the
• encouragement they had got from Mr. Carnegie all
along, he was sure this would be the case by another
year. (Applause.) As to the Bailies' race, he was
quite ready, if all the Bailies, the Provost, and Town

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 2 39

Councillors went in for swimming, to be one of
them. (Loud applause and laughter.)

The Chairman then presented Mr. Carnegie with
a book on swimming, written by Mr. Wilson, Glas-
gow, which Mr. Carnegie suitably acknowledged.

The proceedings then terminated, and the prizes
were presented to the successful competitors at the
close.

I will not be tempted to say anything further
about this unexpected upheaval except this : after
we had stopped and saluted the Stars and Stripes,
displayed upon the Abbey Tower in graceful com-
pliment to our American friends (no foreign flag
ever floated there before, said our friend, Mr. Rob-
inson, keeper of the ruins), we passed through the
archway to the Bartizan, and at this moment came
the shock of all that day to me. I was standing on
the front seat of the coach with Provost Walls when
I heard the first toll of the abbey bell. My knees
sank from under me, the" tears came rushing before
I knew it, and I turned round to tell the Provost
that I must give in. For ^ moment I felt as if I
were about to faint. Fortunately 1 saw that there
was no crowd before us for a little distance. I had
time to regain control, and biting my lips till they
actually bled, I murmured to myself, " No matter,
keep cool, you must go on ;" but never can there
come to my ears on earth nor enter so deep into m}-^
soul a sound that shall haunt and subdue me with
its sweet, gracious, melting power like that.

By that curfew bell I had been laid in my little
couch to sleep the sleep of childish innocence.

240 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Father and mother, sometimes the one, sometimes
the other, had told' me, as they bent lovingly
over me, night after night, what that bell said as it
tolled. Many good words has that bell spoken to
me through their translations. No wrong thing
did I do through the day which that voice from
all I knew of heaven and the great Father there
did not tell me kindly about ere I sank to sleep,
speaking the very words so plainly that I knew that
the power that moved it had seen all and was not
angry, never angry, never, but so very, very sorry.
Nor is that bell dumb to me to-day when I hear its
voice. It still has its message, and now it sounded
to welcome back the exiled mother and son under
its precious care again.

The world has not within its power to devise,
much less to bestow upon us, such a reward as that
which the abbey bell gave when it tolled in our
honor. But my brother Tom should have been there
also ; this was the thought that came. He, too, was
beginning to know the wonders of that bell ere we
were away to the newer land..

Rousseau wished to die to the strains of sweet
music. Could I choose my accompaniment, I could
wish to pass into the dim beyond with the tolling of
the abbey bell sounding in my ears, telhng me of the
race that had been run, and calling me as it*iad
called the little white-haired child, for the last time
— to sleep.

Friday was a cloudy day, but our friends, Messrs.
Walls, Mathieson, Walker, Ross, Drummond, cousin
Thomas Morrison, Uncle Lauder, and others who
spent the early morning with us and saw us ofif,

5.t

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 241

unanimously predicted that it would clear. They
proved true weather prophets, for it did turn out to
be a bright day. Passing Colonel Myers's residence,
we drove in and gave that representative of the
great Republic and his wife three farewell cheers.

Kinross was the lunching-place. Mother was for
the first and last time compelled to seek the inside
for a few hours after leaving Dunfermline. These
farewells from those near and dear to you are among
the crudest ordeals one has to undergo in life. One
of the most desirable arrangements held out to us in
all that is said of heaven is to my mind that there
shall be no parting there. Hell might be invested
with a new horror by having them daily.

We had time while at Kinross to walk along Loch
Leven and see the ruined castle upon the island,
from which Douglas rescued Queen Mary. What a
question this of Mar}'^ Queen of Scots is in Scotland.
To intimate a doubt that she was not purity itself
suffices to stir up a warm discussion. Long after a
" point of divinity" ceases to be the best bone to
snarl over, this Queen Mar}- (juestion will probably
still serve the purpose. What matters it what she
was ? It is now a case of beauty in distress, and we
cannot help sympathizing with a gentle, refined
woman (even if her refinement was French veneer-
ing), surrounded by rude, coarse men. What is the
use of " argie bargieing" about it ? Still, I suppose,
we must have a bone of some kind, and this is cer-
tainly a more sensible one than the " point of divin-
ity," which happily is going somewhat out of fashion.

To-day's talk on the coach was all of the demon-
stration at Dunfermline, and one after another inci-

a

242 OUR COACHING TRIP.

dent was recalled. Bailie Walker was determined
Ave should learn what real Scotch gooseberries are,
and had put on the coach an immense basketful of
them, " We never can dispose of so many," was the
verdict at Kinross ; at Perth it was modified, and ere
Pitlochrie was reached the verdict was reversed and
more wished for. Our American friends had never
known gooseberries before, friend Bailie, so they said.
Fair Perth was to be our resting-place, but be-
•fore arriving there the pedestrians of the party had
one of their grandest excursions, walking through
beautiful Glen Farg. They were overpowered at
every turn by its loveliness, and declared that there
is nothing like it out of Scotland. The ferns and the
wild flowers, in all their dewy freshness after the
rains, made us all young again, and the glen echoed
our laughter and our songs. The outlet from the
glen into the rich Carse of Gowrie gave us another
surprise worthy of record. There is nothing, I think,
either in Britain or America, that is equal in cultiva-
tion to the famous Carse of Gowrie. They will be
clever agrriculturists who teach the farmers of the
Carse how to increase very greatly the harvest of
that portion of our good mother earth. Davie be-
gan to see how it is that Scotland grows crops that
England cannot rival. Perthshire is a very beauti-
ful county, neither Highland nor Lowland, but occu-
pying, as it were, the golden mean between, and
possessed of many of the advantages of both.

Perth, Saturday, July 29.
The view from the hill-top ov^erlooking Perth is
superb. " Fair Perth indeed !" we all exclaim. The

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 243

winding Tay, with one large sail-boat gliding on its
waters, the fertile plains beyond, and the bold crag
at the base of which the river sweeps down, arrested
the attention of our happy pedestrians and kept them
long upon the hill. I had never seen Perth before,
and it was a surprise to me to find its situation so
very fine ; but then we are all more and more sur-
prised at what Scotland has to show when thorough-
ly examined. The finer view from the hill of Kin-
noul should be seen, if one would know of what Scot-
land has to boast.

Before starting to-day we had time to stroll
along the Tay for an hour or two. We were espe-
cially attracted by a volunteer regiment under drill
upon the green, and were gratified to see that the
men looked remarkably well under close inspection,
as indeed did all the militia and volunteers we saw.
The nation cannot be wrong in accounting these
forces most valuable auxiliaries in case of need. I
have no doubt but in the course of one short cam-
paign they would equal regular troops ; at least such
was the experience in the American war. The men
we saw were certainly superior to regulars as men.
It is in a war of defence, when one's own country is
to be fought for, that bayonets which can think are
wanted. With such a question at issue, these Scotch-
men would rout any regular troops in the world
who opposed them for pay. As for miserable skir-
mishes against poor half-armed savages, I hope these
men would think enough to despise the bad use they
were put to.

The villas we saw upon the opposite bank of the
Tay looked very pretty — niqc home-like places, with

244 OUR COACHING TRIP.

«

their gardens and boat-houses. We voted fair Perth
very fair indeed. After luncheon, which was taken
in the hotel at Dunkeld, we left our horses to rest
and made an excursion of a few miles to the falls, to
the place in the Vale of Athol where Millais made the
sketch for his celebrated picture called " O'er the
hills and far awa'." It is a grand^view, and lighted
as it then was by glimpses of sunshine through dark
masses of cloud, giving many of the rainbow tints
upon the heather, it is sure to remain long with us.
For thirty miles stretch the vast possessions of the
Duke of Athol ; over mountain, strath, and glen he
is monarch of all the eye can see — a noble heritage.
A recent storm is said to have uprooted seventy
thousand of his trees in a single night.

The coachman who drove us to-day interested us
by his knowledge of men and things — such a charac-
ter as could hardly grow except on the heather. He
" did not think muckle o' one man owning thirty miles
o' land who had done nothing for it." His reply to
a question was given with such a pawkie expression
that it remains fixed in the memory. "Why do not the
people just meet and resolve that they will no longer
have kings, princes, dukes or lords, and declare that
all men are born equal, as we have done in America ?"

" Aye, maan, it would hae to be a j-/;-^?//^'- meeting
that!"

That strong was so very strong ; but there Avill
be one strong enough some day, for all that. We
cannot stand nonsense forever, patient as we are and
slow.

Dunkeld is the gateway of the Highlands, and we
enter it, singing as we pass upward.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 24c

"There are hills beyond Pentland
And streams beyond Forth ;
If there are lords in the south
There are chiefs in the north."

We are among- the real hills at last. Yonder
towers Birnam, and here Dunsinane Hill. Mighty
master, even here is your shade, and we dwell again
in 3^our shadow. The very air breathes of Macbeth,
and the murdered Banquo still haunts the glen.
How perfectly wShakespeare flings into two words the
slow gathering darkness of night in this northern
latitude, among the deep green pines :

" Ere the bat hath flown
His cloister'd flight ; ere, to black Hecate's summons,
The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums,
Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done

A deed of dreadful note

Light thickens ; and the crow

Makes wing to the rooky wood :

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse ;

Whiles night's black agents to their prey do rouse."

That man shut his eyes and imagined more than
other men could see with their eyes wide open
even when among the scenes depicted. The light
does " thicken," and the darkness creeps upon us and
wraps us in its mantle unawares.

PiTLOCHRlE, Sunday, July 30-31.

This is a famous resort in the Highlands ; and de-
servedly so, for excursions can be made in every
direction to famous spots. We visited the hydro-
pathic establishment in the evening, and found some-
thing resembling an American hotel. Such estab-
lishments are numerous in England and Scotland.

246 OUR COACHING TRIP.

•

Few of the guests take the cold-water treatment, as
1 had supposed, but visit the hotels more for sake of
a change, to make acquaintances, and to " have a
good time," as we say. I have no doubt that a
month of Pitlochrie air is highly beneficial for ahiiost
any one.

We walked to the falls of Tummel, and spent
some happy hours there. Cousin Eliza is up in
Scotch songs, and I start her every now and then.
It has a charm of its own to sit on the banks of the
very stream, with Athol near, and listen to the in-
quiry finely sung :

" Cam ye by Athol,
Lad wi' the philibeg,
Down by the Tummel
And banks of the Garey ?"

Through these very glens the mountaineers came

rushing,

"And with the ocean's mighty swing
When heaving to the tempest's wing
They hurled them on the foe."

There is a new meaning to the song when Davie
pours it forth in the glen itself :

" Sweet the lavrock's.note and lang,
Lilting wildly up the glen,
But aye to me it sings ae sang,
Will ye no come back again ?"

What a chorus we gave him ! There are some
days in which we live more than twenty-four hours ;
and these days in Scottish glens count for more than
a week of ordinary life. We are in the region of
gamekeepers and dogs. It is the last day of July,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 247

and the whole country is preparing for the annual
massacre of the 12th of August.

The prices paid for a deer forest in Scotland
are absurd. Twenty-five to fifty thousand dollars
per annum for the right to shoot over a few
thousand acres of poorly timbered land, and a force
of gamekeepers and other attendants to pay for
besides.

For the present the British are what is called a
sporting people, and the Highlands are their favor-
ite hunting-grounds. Their ideas of sport are cu-
rious. General Sheridan told me that, when abroad,
he Avas invited to try some of their sport, but when
he saw the poor animals driven to him, and that all
he had to do was to bang away, he returned the gun
to the attendant. He really could not do this thing,
and the General is not very squeamish either. As
for hunting down a poor hare — that needs the dead-
ening influence of custom.

The first of all our glens is the pass of Killiecran-
kie, through which we Avalked on our way northward
to-day — nothing quite so wild so far. The dark, am-
ber-brown rushing torrent is superb swirling among
the rocks, down which it has poured through
seons of time, wearing them into strange forms.
The very streams are Scotch, witli a character all
their own, portraying the stern features of the race,
torn and twisted by endless ages of struggle with the
rocks which impeded their passage, triumphantly
clearing their pathway to the sea at last by unceas-
ing, persistent endeavor. The sides of Scotia's glens
are a never-failing source of elelight, the wild flow-
ers and the ferns seem so much more delicately 'iiwQ

248 OUR COACHING TRIP. '

than they are anywhere else. One understands how
they affected Burns.

Some of our ladies, mother always for one, will
delay the coach any time to range the sides of the
glen ; and it is with great difficulty that we can get
them together to mount once more. The horn
sounds again and again, and still they linger ; and
when they at last emerge from the copse, it is with
handfuis or rather armfuls of Nature's smiles — lapfuls
of wild flowers — each one rejoicing in her trophies,
happy as the day is long, only it is not half long
enough. Go the sun down never so late it sinks to
its rest too soon.

Dalwhinnie, August r.
Our drive from Pitlochrie to Dalwhinnie, thirty-
two miles, was from beginning to end unsurpassed — -
mountain and moor, forest and glen. The celebrated
falls of Bruar lay in our route, and we spent two
hours walking up the glen to see them. Well were
we repaid. This is decided to be the finest, most
varied fall of all we have seen. The amber torrent
works and squirms itself through caldrons there, and
gorges here, and dashes over precipices yonder, re-
vealing new beauties and giving us fresh delights at
every step. No gentle kiss gives this Scotch fiend
to every sedge it overtaketh in its pilgrimage, for in
truth, dashing and splashing against the rocks, the
surging, boiling water, with its crest of sparkling
foam, seems a live spirit escaping from the glen and
bounding to the sea, pursued by angry demons be-
hind. Standing on the bridge across the Bruar, one
need not be entirely off his balance to sympathize

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 249

to some extent with the wild wish of my young lady
friend, who thought if she had to be anything dead
she would be a plunging, mad stream like this, danc-
ing among the rocks, snatching to its breast, as it
passed the bluebell and the forget-me-not, the broom
and the foxglove, leaping over precipices and toss-
ing its gay head in sparkling rainbow sprays forever
and ever.

It was while gazing at this fall that Burns wrote
the petition of Bruar water. The shade asked for
has been restored — " Clanalpine's pine, in battle
brave," now fill the glen, and the falls of the Bruar
sing their grateful thanks to the bard who loved
them.

I have often reminded you, good readers, that
the coaching party, with a few exceptions, hailed
with delight every opportunity for a walk. Con-
trary to expectation, these came much less frequently
in Scotland than in England. Far away up among
the towering hills, where the roads necessarily follow
the streams which have pushed themselves through
the narrow defiles, we get miles and miles in the
glens along the ever-changing streams ; but it is too
level for pedestrianism unless we reduce the pace of
the coach and walk tlie horses. It is after a two
hours' climb up the glen to see such a waterfall as
the Bruar that we return to the coach feeling, as wb
mount to our seats, that we have done our duty.
We were many miles from our lunching site, and
long ere it was reached we were overtaken by the
moimtain hunger. When we arrived at the house
on the moors where entertainment had been prom-
ised us, it was to find that it had been rented for

250 OUR COACHING TRIP.

the season for a shooting-box by a party of EngHsh
gentlemen, who were to arrive in a few days. The
people, however, were very kind, and gave us the
use of the house. Few midday halts gave rise to
more gayety than this, but there is one item to be
here recorded which is peculiar to this luncheon.
For the first and only time the stewardess had to
confess that her supplies were exhausted. Due
allowance, she thought, had been made for the effects
of Highland air, but the climb to Bruar, "or the
brunt of the weather," had produced an unusual de-
mand. The very last morsel was eaten, and there
seemed a flavor of hesitancy in the assurance some
of us gave her that we wished for nothing more.
There was not even one bite left for the beautiful
collies we saw there. Has the amount and depth of
affection which a woman can waste on a collie dog
ever been justly fathomed ? was a question raised to-
day ; but our ladies declined to entertain it at all un-
less " waste" was changed to " bestow." I accept-
ed the amendment. Many stories were told of these
wonderful pets, and what their mistresses had done
for them. My story was a true one. Miss Nettie
having to go abroad had to leave her collie in some
one's care. Many eligible parties had been thought-
fully canvassed, when I suggested that as I had given
her the dog it might be perfectly safe to leave him
with me, or rather with John and the horses. A
grave shake of the head, and then, " I have thought
of that, but have given it up. It would never do.
Trust requires a ivoinan s care.'' Not a smile, >all as
grave as if her pet had been a delicate child. " You
are quite right," I replied; "no doubt he would

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 251

have a dog's life of it at the stable." She said yes,
mournfully, and never suspected a joke. But if the
ladies must go wild over seme kind of a dog, let it
be a collie. I like them myself a little.

It was gloaming ere we reached Lake Ericht,
twelve hundred and fifty feet above the sea, and en-
tered the queer little inn at Dalwhinnie. A bright
fire was made, and we were as gay as larks at din-
ner. I am sure nothing could surprise Americans
more than the dinners and meals generally which
were given us even in such out-of-the-way stations
as this. Everything is good, well cooked, and nicely
served. It is astonishing what a good, nice dinner
and a glass of genuinely old claret does for a party
after such a long day's drive and a climb.

Reassembling after dinner in our neat little par-
lor, the Stars and Stripes displa3^ed as usual over
the mantel, we were all as fresh and bright as if we
had newly risen, and were in for a frolic. The inci-
dents of the day gave us plenty to talk about — the
falls, the glen, that mountain blue, the lake, and oh !
that first dazzling glint of purple heather upon the
hiirh rock in the ijlen which drew forth such excla-
mations ! A little patch it was which, having caught
more of the sunshine there than that upon the
moors, had burst before it into the purple and given
to most of us for the first time ample proof of the
rich, glorious beauty of that famous plant.

What says Annie's song ?

" I can calmly gaze o'er the flowery lea,
I can tentless muse o'er the summer sea ;
But a nameless rapture my bosom fills
As I gaze on the face of the heather hills."

352 OUR COACHING TRIP.

Aye, Annie, the " nameless rapture" swells in
the bosom of every- Scotchman worthy of the name,
when he treads the. heather.

Andrew Martin's prize song, "The Emigrant's
Lament," has the power of a flower to symbolize the
things that tug hardest at the heart-strings very
strongly drawn. By the way, let it be here record-
ed, thanks to friend John Reid, This is a Dunferm-
line song, written by administer, the Rev. Mr. Gil-
fillan — if his sermons were equal to this, he should
have stood high in the kirk — three cheers for Dun-
fermline ! (that always brings the thunder, aye, and
something of the lightning too). The Scotchman
who left the land where his forefathers sleep sings :

" The palm-tree waveth high, and fair the myrtle springs,
And to the Indian maid the bulbul sweetly sings ;
But I dinna see the broom \vi' its tassels on the lea.
Nor hear the Unties sang o' my ain countrie."

There it is, neither palm-tree nor myrtle, poinset-
ta nor Victoria Regina, nor all that luscious nature
has to boast in the dazzling lands of the south, all
put together, will ever make good to that woe-be-
gone, desolate, charred heart the lack of that wee yel-
low bush o' broom — never ! Nor will all "the drowsy
syrups of the East" quiet the ache of that sad breast
which carries within it the dooms of exile from the
scenes and friends of youth. They cannot agree, in
these days, where a man's soul is, much less where
it is goij|ig ; let search be made for it close, very
close, to the roots of that ache. It is not far away
from that centre which colors the stream of man's
life.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 253

Many times to-day, in the exhilaration of the mo-
ment, one or another enthusiastic member called
out, "What do ye think o' Sc(jtland noo ?" and
even Emma had to confess in a half- whisper that
England was nothing to this. Perry and Joe had
never been beyond the borders before, and gave in
their adhesion to the verdict — there was no place
like Scotland. " Right, Perry !"

We have never seen the paragon of grace, the
Scottish bluebell, in its glory till now. It is not to
be judged in gardens ; it is not in its element there ;
but steat^upon it in the glen and see how it goes to
your heart. Truly I think the Scotch are the best
lovers of flowers, make the most of them, and draw
more from them than any other people do. This is
a good sign, and may be adduced as another proof
that the race has a tender, weak spot in the heart to
relieve the hard level head with which the world
credits them.

Whew ! Thermometer 53° during the night, the
coldest weather experienced during our journey.
But how invigorating ! Ten years knocked off from
the age of every one of us, excepting from that of
several of the ladies, who could hardly spare so much
and still be as charming.

We were stirring early this morning, in for a
walk across the moors, with the glorious hills sur-
rounding us. A grand walk it was too, and the
echoes of the horn came all too soon upon us. Look-
ing back down the valley of Lake Ericht, we had the
ideal Highland view — mountains everywhere fading
into blue in the distance, green to their tops except
when capped with snow, and bare, not a tree nor a
17

254 OUR COACHING TRIP.

shrub to break their baldness, and the lake lying
peacefully among them at the foot of the vale.
These towering masses

" Seem to stand to sentinel Enchanted Land."

I am at a loss for any scenery elsewhere with
which to compare that of the Highlands. The blu-
ish tinge above, the rich purple tint below, the thick
and thin marled, cloudy sky with its small rifts of
clear blue, through which alone the sun glints to re-
lieve the dark shadows by narrow dazzling lights —
these give this scenery a we!rd and solemn grandeur
unknown elsewhere ; at least I have seen nothing
like it. During my strolls at night amid such scenes,
I have always felt nearer to the awful mysteries than
ever before. The glowering bare. masses of mountain,
the deep still lake sleeping among them, the sough
of the wind through the glen, not one trace of man
to be seen, no wonder it makes one eerie, and you
feel as if

" Nature had made a pause.
An awful pause, prophetic of its end."

Memory must have much to do with this eerie
feeling upon such occasions, I take it, for every scrap
of Scottish poetry and song bearing upon the High-
lands comes rushing back to me. There are whis-
pering sounds in the glen :

" Shades of the dead, have I not heard your voices
Rise on the night-rolling breath of the gale?
Surely the soul of the hero rejoices

And rides on the wind o'er his own Highland vale."

I hear the lament of Ossian in the sough of the
passing wind.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 255

We stopped at the inn at Kingussie, one of the
centres of sporting- interest, but drove on beyond
to spread our luncheon upon the banks of the
Spey, close to the ruins of Ruthven Castle, a fine
ruin in this beautiful valley of the Spey. We walked
to it after luncheon. It was here that the Highland
clans assembled after the defeat of Flodden Field and
resolved to disband, and the country was rid of the
Stuarts fo/ever. How far the world has travelled
since those days ! The best king or family of kings
in the world is not worth one drop of an honest
man's blood. If the House of Commons should de-
cide to-day that the Prince of Wales is not a fit and
proper figure-head, and should vote that my Lord
Tom Noddy is, there is not a sane man in the realm
who would move a finger for the rightful heir ; yet
our forefathers thought it a religious duty to plunge
their country into civil war to restore the Stuarts —

" A coward race, to honor lost ;
Who knew them best despised them most."

But I suppose they were about a fair average of
royal races. It does one good to mark such progress.
I will not believe that man goes round in a circle as
the earth does ; upon the king absurdity he has trav-
elled a straight line. When we made kings by act
of Parliament (as the Guelphs were made), another
lesson was learned, that Parliament can unmake them
too. That is one bloody circle we need never travel
again. Not one drop of blood for all the royal fami-
lies in Christendom. Carried, ncui. con.

We even hear of a second step proposed : no
more marriage portions for extravagant, riotous

256 OUR COACHING TRIP.

princes to set disgraceful examples with, and three
Cabinet Ministers saying- Amen. I rather enjoy the
spectacle of the royal family begging hat in hand.
It is such a splendid lesson, such a grand thing for
us to be proud of coming from "the fountain ot
honor." (Don't laugh, that is what they call it.)
Bah ! let them earn an honest living like the rest of /
us. That will be the upshot of all this, one of these
happy days ; for the present, let us congratulate our-
selves that the great-grandson of the man who
Avould have died for Prince Charlie grumbles at
Gwen paying ior Prince Leopold.

Boat o' Garden was to be our refuge, a small,
lovely inn on the moors, the landlady of which had
telegraphed us in a rather equivocal way in response
to our request for shelter. There was no other house
for many miles, so we pushed on, trusting to our
star. We were all right. The house was to be
filled on the morrow with sportsmen, and we could
be entertained " for this night only." Such is luck.
Even as it Was, the family rooms had to be given up
to us ; but then, dear souls, there is nothing they
would not do for the Americans. As for the coach,
there was no building on the moors high enough to
take in the huge vehicle ; but as showing the extreme
care taken of property in this country, I note that
heavy tarpaulins were obtained, and it was nicely
covered for the night. What a monster it seemed
standing out in the darkness !

After dinner we received packages of the Dun-
fermline papers containing the full account of the
demonstration there and of the speeches. It goes
without saying that there was great anxiety to read

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 257

the account of that extraordinary ovation. Those
who had made speeches and said they were not very
sure what, were seen to retire to quiet corners and
bury themselves in their copies. Ah, gentlemen, it
is of no use ! Read your orations twenty times
over, you are just as far as ever from being able to
gauge your wonderful performances ; besides the
speech made is nothing compared to any of half a
dozen you have since made to yourself on the same
subject. Ah ! the Dunfermline people should have
heard these. So sorry ! One can tell all about the
speeches of his colleagues, however, and we made
each other happy by ver)'^ liberal laudations, while
we each felt once more the generous rounds of ap-
plause with which we had been greeted.

After mailing copies of the newspapers to numer-
ous friends, there came a serious cloud over all. This
was to be our last night on the moors ; the end of
our wayward life had come. One more merry start
at the horn's call, and to-morrow's setting sun would
see the end of our happy dream. Arcadia would be
no more ; the Charioteers' occupation would be gone.
It was resolved that something should be done to
celebrate the night to distinguish it from others.
We would conform to the manners and customs of
the country and drink to our noble selves in whiskey
toddy with Highland honors. This proved a suc-
cess. Songs were sung ; Aaleek was in his most
admirable fooling; "your health and song " went
^round, and we parted in tolerably good spirits.

There was an unusual tenderness in the grasp of
the hand, and mayhap something of a tremor in the
kind " Good-night, happy dreams," with which it

258 OUR COACHING TRIP.

was the custom of the members to separate for the
night, and we went to bed wondering what we had
done to deserve so much happiness.

Boat o' Garden, August 2.

Inverness at last ! But most of us were up an(J
away in advance of the coach, for who would miss
the caller air and the joy of the moors these blessed
mornings when it seems joy enough simply to
breathe ? But did not we catch it this morningf ! No
use trying to march against this blow ; the wind
fairly beat us, and we were all glad to take refuge in
the school-house till the coach came ; and glad
were we that we had done so. Was it not a sight
to see the throng of sturdy boys and girls gathered
together from who knows where ! for miles and
miles there are seen but a few low huts upon the
moors ; but as some one has said, " Education is a
passion" in Scotland, and much of the admitted suc-
cess of the race has its root in this truth. The
poorest crofter in Scotland will see that his child gets
to school.

Note this in the fine old song,

" When Aaleck, Jock, and Jeanettie
Are up and got their lair,
The)''Il serve to gar the boatie row
And lichten a' our care."

Heavy is the load of care that the Scotch father
and mother take upon themselves and struggle with
all the years of their prime that the bairns " may get
their lair." To the credit of the bairns let it be no-
ted that the hope expressed in the verse just quoted

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 259

is not often disappointed. They do grow up to be
a comfort to their parents in old age when worn
out with sacrifices made for them. Our great men
come from the cradles of poverty. I think he was a
very wise man who found out that the advantage of
poverty was a great prize which a rich man could
never give his son. But we should not condemn the
Marquises of Huntley, the Dukes of Hamilton, and
the rest of them ; they never had a fair chance to
become useful men. It is the S3"stem that is at
fault, and for that we the people are responsi-
ble. The privileged classes might turn out quite
respectably if they had justice done them and
were permitted to start in life as other men are.
For my part, I wonder that they generally turn
out as well as they do. The kite mounts only
against the wind. People of rank might cease to
occupy the present dull level their class presents and
mount too if we did not " come between the wind
and their nobility." Do be just. \^4e sow for me-
diocrities, and we get them. Why should not the
aristocracy furnish a Darwin or a Huxley, a Watt
or a Bessemer, a Robertson Smith, a Gladstone or a
Disraeli, a Princeps or a Millais, a Mill or a Spencer,
a Carlyle or a Macaulay, or a somebody, just once ?
No reason in the world. It has not escaped doing
so by miracle, but only by being spoiled by pamper-
ing. What a statesman Edmund Burlce was ! the
greatest England has yet produced. None of his
speeches show his grasp- more clearl}^ than that in
which he said : " Kings are naturally lovers of low
company. It must indeed be admitted that many
of the nobility are as perfectly willing to act the part

2 6o OUR COACHING TRIP.

of parasites, pimps, and buffoons, as any of the low-
est of mankind can possibly be."

If Edmund Burke said that, Avhy may I not |

quote it here ? But does it not amaze you that the i

gentlemen of England — and they are the gentleman
of the world — remain responsible in these days for
such a system ? Education, early education, alone
accounts for it. They do not think, but they have
much to answer for here. I move that justice be
done, and prince and duke be placed upon terms of
equality with the best of us. We should not handi-
cap any of our fellow-citizens so fearfully.

While revelling in the exquisite beauty of Eng-
land, such quiet and peaceful beauty as we had
never seen before, the thought often came to me
that I should be compelled to assume the apologetic
strain for my beloved Scotland. It could not possi-
bly have such attractions to show as the more genial
South, but so far from this being so, as I have
already said, tjjiere was scarcely a morning or after-
noon during which the triumphant inquiry was not
made, " What do you think of Scotland noo ?" Of
all that earned for Scotland the first place in our
hearts I note the pretty stone school-houses, with
teacher's residence and garden attached, which
were seen in almost every village, and if I had no
other foundation than this upon which to predict the
continued intellectual ascendency of Scotland and
an uninterrupted growth of its people in every de-
partment of human achievement, I should unhesitat-
ingly rest it upon these school-houses. A people
which passes through the parish school in its
youth cannot lose its grasp, or fall far behind in

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 261

the race. Indeed, compared with the thorough edu-
cation of the people, the lives and quarrels of politi-
cians are petty in the extreme. It is with education
as with righteousness, seek it first and all political
blessings must be added unto you. It is the only
sure foundation upon which to rear the superstruc-
ture of a great state, and how happy I am to boast
that Scotland is not going to 3 ield the palm in this
most important of all work. No, not even to the
Republic. From what I saw of the new schools, I'll
back their scholars against any lot of American chil-
dren to-day ; but I admit one great lack : the former
would strike you as somewhat too deferential, dis-
posed to bow too much to their superiors in station,
while American boys are said to be born repeating
the Declaration of Independence. No more valu-
able lesson can be taught a lad than this : that he is
born the equal of the prince, and Avhat privileges the
prince has are unjustlydenied him. It would do
Scotch boys good to hear my young American neph-
ews upon the doctrine that one man " is as good as an-
other and a good deal better. " Of the sights which
cause me to lose temper, one is to see a splendid
young Briton, a real manly fellow, standing mum
like a duffer when he is asked why the son of the
Guelph family or of any other family should have a
privilege denied to him. Are you less a man ? Have
not you had as honest parents and a better grand-
father ? Why do you stand this injustice ? And
then he has nothing to sa}^ Well, I have sometimes
thought I have noticed the cheek a little redder.
That is always a consolation. Thank God ! we
have nothing like this in America. Our young men

262 OUR COACHING TRIP.

carry in their knapsacks a President's seal, and no
one is born to any rank or position above them. Un-
der the starry flag there are equal rights for al^. It
will be so in Scotland perhaps ere I die (D. V.)"!

I do not think I have spoken of the announce-
ments of amusements seen everywhere during the
trip throughout the rural districts : band competi-
tions, cricket matches, flower shows, wrestling
matches, concerts, theatricals, hohday excursions,
races, games, rowing matches, football contests, and
sports of all kinds. We are surprised at their num-
ber, which gives uncontestable evidence of the fact
that the British people work far less and play far
more than their American cousins do. No toilers,
rich or poor, like the Americans ! The band com-
petitions are unknown here, but no doubt we shall
soon follow so good an example and try them.. The
bands of a district meet and compete for prizes, which
stirs up wholesome rivalry and leads to excellence.
I do not know any feature of British life which would
strike an American more forcibly than these con-
tests. We should try one here, and, by and by, why
not an international contest ? — the Dunfermline
band playing the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the
Pittsburgh performers " Rule Britannia :" yes, that's
right ; I insist upon "Rule Britannia " — that is the na-
tion's song ; Pm growing tired of "God save the
Queen" — even such a model as the present one is
only personal, after all. I wish Her Majesty well,
but I love my country more. "Rule Britannia"
is the national song ; the other is only personal.

I hope Americans will find some day more time
for play, like their wiser brethren upon the other side.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 26

o

We came to the crossing- of the Spey to-day to
find that the long high bridge was undergoing ex-
tensive repairs and closed to travel. In America it
would never have occurred to us that a bridge
should be closed while being rebuilt, but in the sci-
ence of bridge-building British engineers are a gen-
eration behind us. However, there was nothing for
it but to follow down the stream until another
bridge was found. W^hen we did find it, we saw a
notice prohibiting loads beyond two tons from cross-
ing. It was a light iron structure (perhaps a Tay
blunder upon a small scale). The wind was whist-
ling like a fiend about our ears as it came roaring-
down the glen ; all pleasant while we -vvere in the
woods skirting the river with our backs to it, but
when we turned to cross it seemed as if we should
be blown bodily from the top of the^coach. Every-
thing was taken off the top, and we all dismounted.
Perry and Joe drove over, while we all walked, some
of us on the lea side of the coach for shelter, and in
a few minutes we were so sheltered in the glen again
as scarcely to know there was a breath of air stir-
ring ; but these " Highland homes where tempests
blow" know what gales are. We have had great
blows now and then at some high points crossing
the moors, for the hills you rarely cross; these you
have to avoid, but to-day was the only time we
were compelled to dismount.

W^e had not far to drive before we reached the
pretty little burn whicli falls into the Findhorn, the
spot selected for the last luncheon.

But here was the burn, the burnie of Ballan-
tyne, and I repeated, as I now do from memory, [that

2 64 OUR COACHING TRIP.

gem. Listen to the story of the burnie. No, you
shall only have one verse of it to tempt yoij to read
it all for yourselves :

\

" And ither burnies joined and its rippling song was o'er,
For the burn became a river ere it reached the ocean shore,
And the wild waves rose to greet it with their ain eerie croon,
Working their appointed work and never, never done."

Isn't that pretty ? This spot seemed made to order :
the burn, the fire, the mossy grass, the wild river,
the moor and glen, all here. Down sat the Chariot-
eers for the last happy luncheon together. We
were all so dangerously near the brink of sad regret
that a bold effort was necessary to steer clear of
thoughts which pressed upon us. We had to laugh
for fear we might cry, the smile ever lies so near the
tear. It had to be a lively luncheon, that was all
there was about it. Aaleck and Ben and Davie and
Gardie all knew this, and when duty calls it doesn't
take much to start our boys to frolic. A few empty
bags which we had used for horsefeed in emergen-
cies suggested a sack-race. Such roars of laughter
when one or the other of the too ambitious contest-
ants went to grass ! This was a capital diversion.
Any one looking down upon us (but in these lonely
glens no eye is there to see) would never have im-
agined that this sport was started only as a means to
prevent the travellers becoming mournful enough
for a funeral. A little management is a great thing :
it pulled us through the last luncheon with only tears
of laughter.

" in, Joe ! Right, Perry ! Sound the horn ! All
aboard for Inverness !" There was something in the
thought, " We have done it," which kept us from

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 265

regret, although the rebuke came sharply from the
ladies, as one pointed out another milestone, " Oh,
don't, please !" With every white stone passed there
was a mile less of Arcadia to enjoy. Over moor
and dale lies the way, a beautiful drive, gradually
descending for many miles, for we have from twelve
hundred and fifty feet above sea level at Dalwhinnie
to a few hundred only near Inverness.

At last the call is made, " Stop, Perry !" Capital
of the Highlands, all hail ! Three rousing cheers for
bonnie Inverness ! There she lies so prettily upon
the Moray Firth, surrounded by fields of emerald
green, an unusually grand situation and a remarkabh'
beautiful town. We stopped long upon the hill-top
to enjoy the picture spread out below. The Chari-
oteers will forget much ere their entrance into In-
verness fades from the memory. A telegram from
our ex-general manager, friend Graham, conveyed
to us the congratulations of our Wolverhampton
connection upon the triumphant success of our expe-
dition, to which something like this ^vas sent :
"Thanks! We arrived at the end of this earthly
paradise at six o'clock this evening. When shall we
look upon its like again ?"

Inverness, August 3.
It was Saturday, 6 P.M., August 3d, exactly seven
weeks and a day after leaving Brighton, when wc en-
tered Inverness and sat down in our parlor at the
Caledonian Hotel. Up went the fiags as usual ; din-
ner was ordered ; then came mutual congratulations
upon the success of the journey just finished. Not
one of the thirty-two persons who had at various

266 OUR COACHING TRIP.

times travelled with us ever missed a meal, or had
been indisposed from fatigue or exposure. Even Ben
had been improved by the journey. Nor had the
coach ever to wait five minutes for any one ; we had
breakfasted, lunched, and dined together, and not
one had ever inconvenienced the company by failing
to be in time.

How shall I render the unanimous verdict of the
company upon the life we had led ?

" I never was so happy in my life. No, Aaleck,
not even upon my wedding journey." That is the
verdict of one devoted young wife, given in presence
of her husband.

" 1 haven't been so happy since my father took
me fishing, and I wasn't as happy then," was
Aaleck's statement.

" Oh, iVndrew, I have been a young girl again !"
We all know who said that, Miss Velvety.

" I can't help it, but 1 don't Avant to speak of it
just now. It's too sad." Prima donna, <this was a
slightl}' perilous line to follow, for the heart was evi-
dently near the mouth there.

" To think of it, Naig, I have to go home to-
morrow." That was Eliza.

" Jerusalem the golden ! it would make a wooden
Indian jump, this life would. " No need of putting a
name to that, Bennie, my lad ; that's Rugb}^ Tennes-
see.

"Andrew, I've just been in a dream of happi-
ness all the time." That was the bold McCargo
(oor Davie).

" I never expect to be as happy for seven weeks
again," met with a chorus of supporters.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 267

Mother, however, put us all in a more gleeful
mood by her verdict : " Well, I expect to have
another coaching trip yet. You'll see ! He can't
help doing more of this, and I'll be there. He can't
keep me at home !" And her hearty laugh and a clap
of her hands above her head brought Us all merrily to
dinner. She's a caution, that young mother of mine ;
but she is very often a true prophet. We shall see,
we shall see !

After dinner we strolled about the city and ad-
mired its many beauties, especially the pretty Ness,
which fiows through the town to the sea. Its banks
and islands constitute one of the finest of pleasure-
grounds for the people, and many a lover's tale, I
trow, has been told in the shady walks beside it. I
felt quite sentimental myself sauntering along be-
tween the gloaming and the mirk with one of the
young ladies. The long, long gloaming of the north
adds immensely to the charms of such a journey as
this we have just taken. These are the sweetly pre-
cious hours of the day.

On reassembling in our parlor an ominous lack of
hilarity prevailed. We did manage, however, to
get the choir up to the point of giving this appropri-
ate song with a slight variation :

" Happy we've been a' thegither,

Happy we've been in ane and a',
Blyther folks ne'er coached thegither,
Sad are we to gang awa'."

(Chorus.)

It wasn't much of a success. We were not in tune,
nor in time either. Joe and Perry were to come at
ten to say good-by. Here the ^grious business of

268 OUR COACHING TRIjP.

life pressed upon us, escape being- impossible. We
had to meet it at last. They came and received the
thanks and adieux of all. 1 handed them notes certi-
fying to all coming coaching parties that fortunate
indeed would be their lot were Perry and Joe to
take them in charge. Joey responded in a speech
which so riveted our attention during delivery that
not one of us could recall a sentence when he ceased.
This is one of the sincere regrets of the travellers, for
assuredly a copy of that great effort would have given
the record inestimable value. It was a gem. I
have tried to catch it, but only one sentence comes to
me : " And has for the 'osses, sir, they are better
than when we started, sir ; then they 'ad flabby flesh,
sir ; now they're neat an' 'ardy." So are we all of
us, Joey, just like the 'osses ; " neat an' ardy," fit
for walk, run, or climb, and bang-up to everything.
We had all next day to enjoy Inverness. What a
fine climate it has as compared with the Highlands
south of it ! Vegetation is luxuriant here and the
land fertile. One would naturally expect all to be
bleak and bare so far north, but that Gulf Stream
Avhich America sends over to save the precious tight
little isle from being a region of ice makes the region
delightful in summer and not extremely cold even
in winter. We are assured that the climate of Inver-
ness is more genial than that of Edinburgh, which is
not saying very much for the capital of the north
surely, but still it is something.

Caledonia Hotel,
Inverness, August 5, evening.

General manag-ej* at dinner.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 269

To waiter: "What time do we start in the
morning ?"

Waiter : ' ' The oninibtis starts at seven, sir.
Shakespearian Student — " Ah ! There was the
weight which pulled us down. The omnibus ! Fare-
well the neighing steeds, the spirit-stirring horn,
whose sweet throat awaked the echoes o'er moun-
tain and glen. Farewell, the Republican banner,
and all the pride, pomp, and circumstance of glori-
ous coaching, farewell ! The Charioteers' occupa-
tion's gone."

First Miltonic Reciter —

" From morn till noon,
From noon till dewy eve,
A summer's day we fell."

Our fall from our own four-in-hand to a public
omnibus — oh, what a fall was there, my country-
men I — jnv'^olved the loss of many a long summer's
day to us — long as the}^ had been the sun ever set
too soon.

It was all up after this. Perry and Joe, the coach
and the horses were speeding away by rail to their
homes ; we were no longer tJie coaching party, but
only ordinary tourists buying our tickets like other
people instead of travelling as it were in style upon
annual passes. But fate was merciful to us even in
this extremity ; we were kept from the very Jowest
stage of human misery by finding ourselves alone
and all together in the omnibus ; our party just filled
it. If it was only a hotel omnibus, as one of the
young ladies said, it was all our own yet, as was the
MacLcan boat at the flood, and the ladies, dear
souls, managed to draw some consolation from that.
18

2 70 OUR COACHING TRIP.

We returned from Inverness by'^the usual tourist
route : canal and boat to Oban, where we rested
over night, thence next day to Glasgow. Under
any other circumstances I think this part of the
journey would have been delightful. The scene in-
delibly impressed upon our minds is that we saw. at
night near Ballahulish. I remember a party of us
agreed that what we then saw could never be for-
gotten. But Black alone could paint it. It is say-
ing much for any combination- of the elements when
not one nor two, but more of a party like ours stand
and whisper at rare intervals of the sublime and aw-
ful grandeur which fascinates them into silence ;
never am I lifted up apparently so close to the Infi-
nite as when amid such weird, uncanny scenes as
these. We had an hour of this that night, fitting close
to our life in the Highlands of Scotland.

The first separation came at Greenock. Mother,
Emma, and Mr. and Mrs. King disembarked there
for Paisley. The others continued by boat to Glas-
gow and enjoyed the sail up the Clyde very much.
It was Saturday, a holiday for the workers. The
miles of shipyards were still, " no sound of hammers
clanking rivets up," that fine sunny day, but as we
passed close to them we saw the iron frames of the
future monsters of the deep, the Servia, Alaska, and
others, destined to bear the palm for a short time,
and then to give place to others still greater, till the
voyage between England and America will only be
a five-day pleasure excursion, and there will be
" two nations, but one people." God speed the day !
But the old land must come up to Republicanism !
I make a personal matter of that, Lafayette, my boy,

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 271

as Mulberry Sellers says. " No monarchy need ap-
ply." We draw the line at this. All men were
created free and equal. Brother Jonathan takes very
little "stock" in a people who do not carry out
that fundamental principle.

.We landed at the Broomielaw, w^hither father and
mother and Tom and I sailed thirty odd years ago,
on the 800-ton ship Wiscasset, and began our seven
weeks' voyage to the land of promise, poor emigrants
in quest of fortune ; but, mark you, not without
thoughts in the radical breasts of our parents that it
was advisable to leave a land which tolerated class
distinctions for the one government of the people, by
the people, and for the people, which welcomed
them to its fold and insured for their sons as far as
laws can give it equality with the highest and a fair
and free field for the exercise of their powers.

My father saw through not only the sham but
the injustice of rank, from king to knight, and loved
America because she knows no difference in her
sons. He was a Republican, aye, every inch, and
his sons glory in that and follow where he led.

I remember well that Aunty Morrison, Uncle
Lauder, Dod, and other friends, stood on the quay
and waved farewell. Had their adieu been trans-
lated it would have read :

" Now may the fair goddess Fortune
Fall deep in love witli thee,
Prosperity be thy page."

Thanks to the generous Republic which stood
with open arms to receive us, as she stands to-daj^ to
welcome the poor of the world to share with her
Qwn sons upon equal terms the glorious h(^"itage

272 OUR COACHING "^RIP.

with which she is endowed — thanks to it, pros-
perity has indeed been our page.

At St. Enoch's Station Hotel, Glasgow, the final
disbanding of the party took place, A delegation of
five members, Mr. and Mrs. McCargo, Misses Johns
and French, and Mr. Vandevort, were sent to in-
vestigate the Irish question and report at Queens-
town. Miss Eliza Lauder returned to Dunfermline.
Mother and Miss Franks and Mr. and Mrs. Kinsf
were visiting the Lambertons at Paisley. Harry
and I ran down to see friend Richards at his basic
process at Eston, stopping over night at York and
Durham, however, to enjoy once more the famous
cathedrals and hear the exquisite music.

Liverpool, August 13.
We sailed to-day in the Algeria, the great Servia
having been delayed. Many were there to see us
off, including four or five Charioteers. The English
are, as Davie said, "a kindly people," a warm-
hearted, affectionate race, and as true as steel.
When you once have them you have them forever.
There was far more than the usual amount of tears
and kisses among the ladies. One would have
thought our American and English women were not
cousins, but sisters. The men were, as befitting
their colder natures, much less demonstrative.
There seems never to be a final good-by on ship-
board ; at every ringing of the bell another tender
embrace and another solemn promise to write soon
are given. But at last all our friends are upon the
tug, the huge vessel moves, one rope after another is
cast (rff, handkerchiefs wave, kisses are thrown.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 273

write soons exchanged, and the tug is off in one di-
rection and we in another. Some one broke the mo-
mentary silence and brought the last round of cheers
with the talismanic call : " Right, Perry !" That
touched all hearts with remembrance of the happy,
happy days, the happiest of our lives. So parted the
two branches of the Gay Charioteers.

At Oueenstown we received the Irish contingent,
who had enjoyed their week in the Emerald Isle.
Veri^ nice indeed was the report, but with this quite
unnecessary addenda, " But, of course, nothing to
coaching." That goes without saying in our ranks.
The Algeria was a great ship in her day ; now
she is sold to a freight line. But when she does not
give a good account of herself in a hurricane do not
pin your faith in any iron ship. You may still,* how-
ever, believe that one of steel like the Servia will
stand anything. She has at least three times the
strength of any iron steamer afloat. When she
does not outride the tempest, you may give up in
earnest and decide, like Mrs. Partington at sea, never
to trust yourself so far out of the reach of Provi-
dcnce again.

On Wednesday morning, August 24th, the part}^
reached New York again, and were finally disband-
ed. Two or three of the most miserable hours I
ever spent were those at the St. Nicholas Hotel,
where mother, Ben, and 1 lunched alone before start-
ing for Cresson. Even Ben had to take an earlier
train for Pittsburgh, and I said to mother : " All our
family gone ! I feel so lonely, so deserted ; not one
remains." But mother was up to the emergenc}'.
" Oh, you don't count me then ! You have still one

2 74 OUR COACHING T^TP.

that sticks to you." Oh, yes, indeed, sure of that,
old lady.

" The good book tells of one

Who sticks closer than a brother ;
But who will dare to say there's one
Sticks closer than a mother !"

(Original poetry for the occasion.)

These horrid partings again ; but whatever the
future has in store for those who made the excursion
recorded here, I think I can safely say that they
could not wish their dearest friend a happier life than
that led from June ist to August 24th by the Gay
Charioteers.

Those who have mounted the coach become, as
it were, by virtue of that act members of an inner
circle*; a band of union knits them closely together.
To a hundred dear, kind friends in the Beautiful Land
we send thanks and greeting. Their kindness to us
can never be forgotten, for they soon taught us to
feel that it was not a "foreign land which we had vis-
ited after all, but the dear old home of our fathers.

Forever and ever may the parent land and the
child land grow fonder and fonder of each other,
and their people mingle more and more till they be-
come as one and the same. All good educated
Americans love England, for they knov/ that she
alone among the nations has

" On with toil of heart and knees and hand
Through the long gorge to the far light hath won
Her path upward and prevailed."

She it was who pointed out to America what to
plant, and how, and where. The people of England

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS. 275

should love America, for she has taught them in return
that all the equal rights of man they are laboring for
at home are bearing goodly fruit in the freer atmos-
phere of the West. May the two peoples therefore
grow in love for each other, and with this fond wish,
and many a sad farewell, the Gay Charioteers disband
forever afterward in life to rally round each other
in case of need at the mystic call of " wSkid, Joe,"
" Right, Perry ;" and certain of this, that whatever
else fades from the memory, the recollection of our
coaching trip from Brighton to Inverness remains a
sacred possession forever.

THE RECORD.

BRIGHTON TO INVERNESS, JUNE 17 TO AUGUST 3, 1881.

June 17 Brighton (The Grand Hotel).

." " Guilford (The White Lion) 42

" 18 and 19. . Windsor (The Castle) 32

" 20 Reading (The Queen's) 27

" 21 Oxford (The Clarendon) 34

22 Banbury (The White Lion) 23

23 Stratford-on- Avon (The Red Horse) 18

" 24 Coventry (The Queen's) 22

" 25 to 30... .Wolverhampton (English Homes, best of all). . . 33

July I Lichfield (The Swan) 20

" 2 and 3 . . .Dovedale (The Izaak Walton) 26

" 4 Chatsworth (The Edensor) 24

" 5 Buxton (The Palace) '. 26

" 6 Manchester (The Queen's) 23

" 7 Chorley (Anderton Hall) 14

" 8 Preston (The Victoria) 16

" 9 and 10.. . Lancaster (The County) 29

" II Kendal (King's Arms) 22

" 12. Grassmere (Prince of Wales) 18

" 13 Keswick (The Keswick) 12

" 14 Penrith (The Crown) 16

" 15 Carlisle (The County and Station) 16

" 16 and 17. . Dumfries (The Commercial) 32

" 18 Sanquhar (The Queensberry) 28

" ig Old Cumnock (Dumfries Arms) 29

" 20 Douglass (Douglass Arms) 28

" 21 to 26. .. .Edinburgh (The Royal) 44

" 27 and 28. .Dunfermline (The City Arms) 16

" 29 Perth (The Royal George) 32

" 30 and 31. .Pitlochrie (Fisher's Hotel) 33

August I Dai.whinnie (The Loch Ericht) 32

" 2 Boat of Garten (The Boat o' Garten) 35

' 3 Inverness (The Caledonian) 29

Total Miles, 831

V

\

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

Los Angeles
This book is DUE on the last date '§tamped below.

^P/? 2 5 igf^Q

J).URL

MM27\96e

NOV 28 1583

i^^C'D LD URL'

il FEB i ' '

Form L9-100m-9,'52 (A3105)444

T\9e6

^

tn«f!^

UC SOUTHFRN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILiT/

AA 000 389 264 3